BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

YENAGOA  —THE People of Ayamabele and Kalaba in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, weekend, staged a peaceful protest calling on the police to bring to justice the alleged killers of their son, late Godsgift Atama.

The deceased, an indigene of Ayamabele, was reportedly shot dead on December 7, 2013 while returning from his grandmother’s wake keep at Agbobiri by some persons, allegedly from Akumoni community.

Angered by the alleged inaction on the part of the police to prosecute the alleged perpetrators of the heinous act whom they claimed were initially arrested but later set free, the indigenes of Ayamabele and Kalaba communities, Friday, staged the peaceful protest.

The protest was staged same day the state government was planting “Peace Trees” in Okordia and Biseni clans as hundreds of youths, women and children clad in black clothes, carrying placards and leaves marched on the only major road traversing the six communities of Okordia clan (linking the East/West Road).

The placards carried messages like: “We No Want War, Let Justice Prevail”, “Ayamabele Vs Akumoni No Peace”, “Governor No Peace In Okordia”, “We Have No Confidence In Bayelsa Police,” among others.

The protesters through the Youth President of Kalaba community, Joel Monibo Joel, called on the government to intervene in the matter in the interest of peace.

His words: “We are appealing to the state governor and the Commissioner of Police to step in and take the right action on this matter.”

According to him, “On December 7, 2013, one of our brothers, a youth of Ayamabele community by name Godgift Atama, was returning from his grandmother’s wake keep at Agbobiri and he was stopped by some persons at Akumoni around one of the bumps on the road and they shot him dead.
“Not only that, after killing him, they dragged his corpse to a remote corner of the Akumoni community. We had to invite the special state security outfit, Operation Doo Akpo and they came and searched for the corpse in Akumoni.”