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Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A total of 21 persons were killed and 195 people injured during the botched governorship rally of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nembe, Nembe Local Government Area, says the panel of inquiry setup to document the level of damage.
Bayelsa State governor Hon Seriake Dickson who received the report of the violence from the Chairman, Commissioner of Police, Akpoebi Agberebi (rtd) described the incident as barbaric.
The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Fidelis Soriwei, described the level of violence perpetrated in Nembe as tragic and sacrilegious
“What took place in Nembe, should be referred to as, ‘Nembe massacre.’ It’s unfortunate that in this day and age this continued to happen from time to time in our country and in this state particularly,” he said
Governor Dickson expressed dismay that the perpetrators of the heinous acts were yet to be apprehended and brought to justice over two months after the election.
He stressed the need for his administration to properly document the incident for posterity.
Dickson who noted the wheel of justice might be slow, expressed optimistim that justice would prevail in the issue of the slaughter of innocent people just before the Bayelsa gubernatorial election.
“The Federal Government appeared not to be bordered about people who were killed in the name of politics and election. They wanted to take this state by force, and we thought , we should document it.
“You never can tell, sometimes history’s hands of justice move very slowly but they sure will move and I can tell, it will happen,” he added
Presenting the report, Agberebi explained that a total number of 195 persons sustained various degrees of injuries.
Mr. Agberebi said that at the end of the public sittings, 379 victims appeared before the panel.
He noted that the panel recorded 19 missing persons and 350 complainants whose properties were vandalised.
“A total of 195 persons sustained various injuries, either by gunshot or some persons who were running and fell down. The number of persons that reported that their properties were vandalized were 350.”
