Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Major-General Suleiman Kazaure, has threatened to withdraw Corp members serving in Bayelsa State if the state government fails to protect them amidst mounting insecurity challenges in the south-south state.
Outrage had trailed the killing of two Corp members, Popoola Oluwatobi and George Onokpoma, by suspected cultists that invaded their house at Swali road.
Kazaure, who mourned the death of the deceased during his tour of 2019 Batch ‘A’ Orientation Camp in Kaiama, Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area of the state, expressed concern over the killings, noting that their deaths and the injury sustained by the third victim Gbenga Dada was a loss to the NYSC.
He urged the state government to ensure the killers are found, tasking the authorities to also take steps to protect the remaining Corp members in the state, with a warning that failure to do so would force the NYSC to withdraw Corp members from the state.
“I am also very concerned about the incident that happened last two weeks, where two Corps members were killed. We are working with other security agencies to ensure their safety during their primary assignments. I want to draw the attention of the Governor, Seriake Dickson, because he is Chief Executive of the Security officers of the state. So, there is need for him to do the needful in terms of security of the Corps members,” the NYSC DG said.
Meanwhile, Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police Mr Olushola David has disclosed that the Police are on the trail of the alleged killers of the Corp members.
David, who stated this during the parade of 13 suspected armed robbers and cultists at the Police headquarters in Yenagoa, had refused to provide further details so as not to jeopardise investigations, he said, though assuring that the killers would soon be apprehended.
He said the Command is focused and determined to rid the state of criminal elements and pleaded for cooperation from members of the public.
“The proliferation of small arms has posed a serious challenge to law enforcement officers in combating violent crimes in the state, with the easy access to locally made pistols by misguided youths especially within Yenagoa metropolis. To confront this menace the Command through collaboration with community leaders and intensive surveillance has smashed a number of armed robbery gangs. As a proactive measure the Command has also repositioned and rejigged its security architecture to confront violent crimes, through focused and intelligent driven raids on flash spots, rigorous stop and search operations on motorists and tricycles and through functional community policing programmes”