From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
There is no let-up in the condemnation of the assassination of outspoken chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sunday Frank Oputu, as members of the party have called on security agencies to unmask the killers.
Ebegha Tarelayefa, a governorship hopeful on the platform of the APC while expressing sadness over the death said Bayelsans are tired of unresolved murders in the state.
According to him the brutal killing of Frank-Oputu in his sleep at his residence in Yenagoa, the state capital, must be subjected to thorough investigations.
Tarelayefa asked the state government and security agencies especially the police to use the case of Frank-Oputu as a test case that they had woken up from their slumber.
He condemned the resurgence of violence in Bayelsa saying it was time the state government rejigged its security architecture.
Tarelayefa seized the opportunity to sue for peace among party members so that they can be resolute to face the opposition and wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the 2023 elections.
“It is with a heavy heart that I received the brutal murder of one of our outspoken party leaders, Sunday Frank-Oputu Oputu. The assassination is one too many in our dear state Bayelsa.
“We have had many unresolved killings in this state and this trend has continued because the perpetrators are never found and brought to book.
“I, hereby, challenged the state government and security agencies in Bayelsa to use the case of Frank-Oputu as a wake-up call. For the first time, let us unmask the killers and bring them to justice. Frank-Oputu Oputu must not die in vain.
Also in a statement the publicity secretary of the party, Doifie Buokoribo says no level of disagreement or conflict can justify the killing of anyone by another human being.
The party tasked the police and other security agencies to do everything within their powers to ensure that the perpetrators of the crime are apprehended and brought to book without delay.
The party however frowned at those trying to input political insinuations into his murder noting that the Police should be allowed to do their work.
“At this stage, no one can say for sure whether the murder was political or not until the police concludes its investigation into the matter,” the APC stated.
Also the former Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heinkein Lokpobiri has described the killing of Oputu as “barbaric, primitive and an act of cowardice.”
In a statement he personally signed, Lokpobiri called on security agencies to carry out thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to book.