From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A 41-year-old former staff of the Bayelsa State Government House and 15 others have been paraded at the Bayelsa State Police Command over their alleged involvement in stealing of solar batteries and high tension cables.
The Commissioner of Police Bayelsa State Command, CP Mike Okoli, paraded the suspects on Monday, saying that Bayelsans should take note that before any crime is committed there must be an insider who will lead the criminals in.
‘A particular interest is one among them having cut-off 12 heavy duties batteries from the Government House. The investigation has revealed that this suspect was a former staff of Government House.
‘This goes to show that for any crime there must be an insider, who will lead the criminals in. The people must take note.
‘The suspect who removed 12 high calibre solar batteries was a staff from Government House; they have parked all these batteries trying to move them when the eagle-eye of the security operatives cut up with him,’ the Commissioner said.
According to the Commissioner, some of the suspects were involved in the theft of a power transformer which has since been moved to A Division police station.
He said another one was cut with 18 pieces of iron bar cut off from a high tension wire that supplies electricity to the people of Anyama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
‘Criminals cannot go unpunished. They will meet the consequences of their infamous act. We will make sure after the investigation they are dealt with,’ he said.
One of the suspects, a former staff of Bayelsa Government House, Mr Yinkere Goodday, said in an interview that he was pushed to the act as a result of hunger because his five-month-old salary had not been paid.
