From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Crisis has erupted in Odioma, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, forcing the state government to read the riot act to the Council of Chiefs.
Investigation revealed that a crisis had erupted over the alleged criminal activities of the suspected kidnapper who has close ties to a serving commissioner in the state
The Council of Chiefs irked by the activities of the suspected kidnapper had written a petition over the criminal activities in the community and its environs prompting the Nigeria Police and the Joint Task Force (JTF) to arrest the suspected kidnappers.
However in a reprisal attack supporters of the suspected kidnapper had attacked those believed to have given information on his activities to security agencies and kidnapped a former member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon Longlife Kumo
Checks indicated that a combined team of Army and Police had to issue an ultimatum to those holding him hostage to release him to avoid the invasion of the community before he was left off the hook but badly beaten and had to be rushed to the Police Clinic.
It was learnt that the whole saga triggered tension in the community and polarised the people which made the Bayelsa state government intervene.
Governor Douye Diri has given members of the Odioma Council of Chiefs the option to either withdraw their membership of political parties or resign outright from the traditional leadership council.
Diri also constituted a six-man peace and reconciliation committee to look into immediate and remote causes of the communal unrest and insecurity threatening the peace of Odioma community.
Diri, represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo at an enlarged meeting with the chairman and members of Odioma Chiefs’ Council and other critical stakeholders of Odioma in Government House, Yenagoa said his administration would not tolerate the breakdown of law and order in Odioma or any other community in the state.
He advised them to live together in peace and avoid actions capable of causing a recurrence of the 2005 experience in which Federal military troops invaded and destroyed Odioma.
“Under our watch, we cannot allow history to repeat itself at Odioma, because we all witnessed what happened there in 2005. We want to avoid a recurrence of that. For now, the police will remain there until we have resolved all the major issues,” he said.
The six-man Odioma Peace and Reconciliation Committee has the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Biriyai Dambo (SAN) as Chairman, while the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, CP Akpoebi Agberebi (retd) is to serve as Secretary.
Other members of the Committee include the member representing Brass Constituency 2 at the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. Timi Omubo- Agala; the Technical Adviser on Conflict Resolution, Chief Boma Spero-Jack; the Commissioner of Police, CP Ben Nebolisa Okolo, and the state director of the DSS.