Fear grips ex-militant leaders as Ebi is killed

Posted by admin Niger Delta Sunday, June 12th, 2011

Panic has gripped ex-militant leaders in Bayelsa State over the assassination of one of them, Ebi Albert from Odioma in Brass Local Government Area of the state.

Recently, General Pastor Reuben had raised the alarm over the security challenges being faced by the ex-militant leaders, considering the way some of them were murdered by gunmen. He said some of them found it difficult to travel out of Yenagoa because of the fear that they would be attacked.
Speaking on behalf of the over 40 ex-militants leaders, Reuben said they had decided to stop the deduction from their boys’ allowances as it was causing friction.

Albert, who broke away from Clever Osei was in a white Hilux vehicle with registration number RV EY 731 PHC with his driver and Police orderly driving along Ebis Road at Biogbolo when he was attacked, shot and killed with his driver, while the Police orderly sustained bullet injuries and is receiving treatment at an undisclosed private hospital in Yenagoa. The Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Musa, in an interview said the Police would leave no stone unturned to get to the root of the attack.

According to him, the Police were looking at both internal and external possibilities of the attack, noting that all angles would be investigated to unmask those who carried out the attack. Police sources said security had been beefed up in the state capital to forestall a reprisal attack from loyalists of the deceased. Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said that it was unimaginable and sad that security operatives were slow in responding to the incident.

The national youth leader of the party, Miriki Ebikibina, in a statement condemned the violence, especially as the 2012 governorship election in the state was drawing close. He said: “It is sad that the Police arrived the scene of a dreadful and fierce of gun battle, which held the whole Boigbolo community spell bound for close to an hour, to arrive at the scene 30 minutes later when the exchange of bullets had ceased, leaving two persons dead. The poor response of Operation Famou Tangbei to the incident, which involved the lives of people residing at Biogbolo, was the height of insensitivity to the security of Bayelsans considering the huge amount of tax payers money being spent in the name of security.”

While condemning the dastardly act, the youth leader recommemded that there should be a full scale investigation, with the culprits brought to book. He further said the Operation Famou Tangbei and other security outfits in the state should be reviewed and over hauled towards enhancing effective checks and reduction of crime to the barest level considering the increase in crime wave in the state, most especially as the 2012 governorship election draws close .
-Sunwp_posts