- Assures the bereaved family of Justice
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, has directed the State Special Committee on Security and Human Rights Violations to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the killing of Mr Daniel Ayama by unknown assailants on the 16th of this month in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Governor Diri gave the directive on Monday during a meeting with the Commissioner of Police, (CP) Francis Idu, representatives of the bereaved Ayama family and other relevant stakeholders in Government House, Yenagoa.
Represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the governor condemned the killing and recent cult-related clashes in the state, attributing the development to a deliberate plot by some enemies of Bayelsa to destabilise and make it ungovernable for selfish political interests.
The Deputy Governor, who is the Chairman of the Committee recused himself from the matter and urged the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Dambo Biriyai, SAN, to dispassionately look into the case with a view to achieving justice within the shortest possible time.
While commiserating with the Ayama family of Ebedebiri in Sagbama LGA over the extrajudicial killing of their 27-year-old son, Senator Diri assured that the government would do everything possible to unearth the cause of the dastardly act and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Governor, who appealed to the victim’s family to exercise some restraint, urged them and members of the public to provide evidence to the committee to enable it determine the real cause of the incident.
He cautioned those who are planning to stage further protests beside the one held last Friday at the Government House Gate to jettison the idea and cooperate with the committee to seek justice for the deceased.
His words: “The Government of Senator Douye Diri is a responsible and responsive one. There’s no time it has allowed extrajudicial killing to take place without the government wading into it and laying blame appropriately.
“There is a committee that is in charge of human rights violations against citizens, which l chair as the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State. The deceased is from my area, so I have decided to recuse myself for an unbiased investigation and action by the committee.
“The government is aware of what some people are doing to us as a state. There are a lot of activities going on as a result of political interests. There are some people who want the state to be ungovernable.
“There are some people who want to take over political parties, and there are those who want to take over governance and government. But they will not succeed. They can only achieve this through legal means and the grace of God.
“I really want to appeal to you (bereaved family) not to add salt to injury because it is going to be very painful. So, restrain yourselves and be law-abiding. Tell all those who are planning to organise protests on your behalf to stop forthwith because some of them are merchants of conflict.