The Bayelsa Youth Movement (BYM), on Thursday, called on the people of the state to hold Prof. Kimse Okoko, Ms Ankio-Briggs and Hon. Claudius Enegesi for any herdsmen, farmers’ clash in the state.
According to the youth group, recent comments attributed to the trio on the use of Bayelsa Palm area for cattle grazing were not only baseless, but capable of causing a breakdown of law and order.
A statement by President of the group, Comrade James Ere-Brown, said any deaths arising from disagreements between the herdsmen and other residents of the state should be blamed on those opposed to the move.
“The people should put the blame of any death from clashes between herdsmen and any community on Ankio Briggs, Kimse Okoko and Hon. Claudius Enegesi and all those who are against the move by government to check the activities of the herdsmen.
“ By opposing the move by the state government to provide the Bayelsa Palm Area as a confined space for them to rear their cows, slaughter them and sell, instead of roaming around with their cattle in our communities and destroying farmlands in the process, these characters are setting the stage for a breakdown of law and order.
“ This is a purely security and economic decision , but the attempt by these people to politicise what is clearly an altruistic move by the government is not only unacceptable but done in very bad faith”, the BYM noted.
The group said that rather than commend Governor Seriake Dickson for the smart move, the three Ijaw indigenes have now cultivated the habit of opposing any good decision by the government.
“ The action of the state government is not only commendable for ensuring that potential security issues are nipped in the bud before they become hugely insurmountable, but Hon Dickson should also be lauded for making Bayelsa the safest state in the South-South and indeed one of the safest in the country as recently attested to by some security agencies.
“That achievement did not come by mere grandstanding by people like Okoko, Briggs and Enegesi, but by thoroughly reasoned security strategies like this one and the state’s irrefutable investment in security infrastructure “, the group argued.
It, therefore urged the trio to support Governor Dickson to move the state to the next level, noting that taking hard public stances and making inciting statements will only set the state backwards.
“ We call on every peace-loving Ijaw person, especially Bayelsans to ignore any attempt to set them against the decisions of government meant to protect them and ensure that they go about their daily activities without let or hindrance”, the BYM leadership noted.