From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson and his predecessor, Timipre Sylva, are locked in a war of words over the security situation in Twon Brass, Brass Local Government Area of the state.
Sylva, in a statement signed by his Media Officer, Doifie Buokoribo, has alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state government want to destabilise Brass by imposing curfew and attacking APC supporters.
Sylva, who also alleged that there are plans to launch a campaign of calumny against him in the media, sponsored by the PDP, advised Dickson to be “more imaginative and pay more attention to alleviating the suffering of Bayelsans.”
But, Dickson’s Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Daniel Alabrah, said in a statement, yesterday that the governor “is too busy with the execution of the mandate given to him by the people of Bayelsa State to join issues with politicians who have failed Bayelsa and the Ijaw Nation.”
He said being in the ruling All Progressives Congress should not be a licence for Sylva to allegedly sponsor criminal activities to the detriment of peace and security in the state. He called on “security agencies to be firm in the performance of their statutory responsibility and not to allow unscrupulous politicians to take advantage of them.
“This is a government that has a mandate to execute on behalf of the Bayelsa people. We cannot afford to be distracted by falsehood emanating from Sylva and his men.”
Sylva should stop encouraging criminality in Bayelsa; he should support stability and development of his state.
“We have worked hard to address the insecurity and underdevelopment that Sylva left behind. He is not even concerned that his local government area, Brass, has become a den for criminality.
“He should stop using the name of the president to intimidate security agencies to cover up his criminal activities. We call on the leadership of the security, at the national level, to encourage and support what the state has been doing and, indeed, the region instead of allowing criminally-minded politicians play politics with security and use so-called federal contacts and the name of the president to intimidate people in matters we believe the president is not aware.”
