YENAGOA—BAYELSA State government, yesterday, faulted the call by Action Congress, AC, for the declaration of a state of emergency following orgy of violence being unleashed by gunmen against the homes of political office holders in the state.

The government which described the call as wicked and ill-timed,  insisted that the security agencies were on top of the situation.

Meanwhile, the association of ex-militant leaders and police authorities led by the Commissioner of Police, Onuoha Udeka, have reiterated their readiness to fish out those the attacks.

Timipre Sylva

They pleaded with the state House of Assembly to take a cue from the Rivers State House of Assembly and pass into law the anti-cultism bill to curb the upsurge in gang related violence in the state.

The state Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Orientation, Hon. Nathan Egba and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Chief Richard Perekeme Kpodoh, in separate statements said though the series of attacks had been discovered to be part of a plot to discredit the administration of Chief Timipre Sylva, the call for a state of emergency was a diversion.

They accused the Action Congress of executing a pre-conceived agenda in the state.

Egba said in the statement: “It is good to make it clear that the call for a state of emergency is ill_timed, wicked, unnecessary and very unpatriotic of the Chairman of the Action Congress, AC. Government believes that the situation in the state at the moment does not warrant any declaration of state of emergency as the security agencies are taking control of the situation.”

On his part, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Chief Richard Perekeme Kpodoh, condemned the attacks and violent cult clashes, describing those behind it as enemies of the state.

Kpodoh stated: “The attacks, as studied and analysed, are distractions to the development agenda of the present administration. It is a calculated attempt to undermine the good intentions of government to give it a bad name.”

The call by opposition parties for a state of emergency is a show seeking political relevance. Rather than working with the present administration for the provision of sustained democratic dividend, the opposition has embarked on orchestrated campaign of calumny against the state government.

“These attacks are not politically motivated as being misconstrued but they are aimed at discrediting the government’s achievements in such areas as youth empowerment, infrastructural development and investment promotion in the state. I must appeal to indigenes of the state not to be distracted by the evil plots but should remain focused in their unflinching support for the administration to better the lot of the people.”

Police blame killings on gang related activities
Meanwhile the state police boss, Elder Onuoha Udeka, has attributed recent killings in the state  to gang_related activities and called on members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to take a cue from Rivers State and pass an anti_cultism law to stem the tide of youth violence in the state.

Udeka said: “These people involved in the attacks are armed robbers who operate in the creeks. Let me assure you that we are on their trail.”