Bayelsa Killings: Stakeholders Indict Lawmaker, Demand His Arrest

Some stakeholders on Saturday indicted the lawmaker representing Brass Constituency 1 in Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr. Israel Sunny-Goli, over the violence that left three persons dead and many others injured in Brass Local Government Area of the state.

Also, a civil society organisation, Network for Peace and Development, called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Sunny-Goli, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, following the killings and constant mayhem in the area.

But Sunny-Goli, who is the only APC member in the state Assembly, has since denied the allegation, saying he did not win his mandate through the barrel of the gun.

One of the residents and aide to the Caretaker Chairman of the council said the violence, which occurred on Monday started when suspected armed cultists attempted to attack his boss, Victor Isaiah.

The aide, who craved anonymity, said his boss was fortunate to have been absent when the assailants launched the attack.

The source said, “From the reports available to us, the plan of the hoodlums was to assassinate the council boss before the political season that is approaching. The APC lawmaker is responsible for the crises in Twon-Brass.

“There is this thug that died in the incident. He was reported to have led the breaking of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad cell in Yenagoa some months ago, an event that led to the dismissal of four SARS officers.

“Since then, this thug and other cultists were used by the APC member to terrorise innocent people in Brass Island and neighbouring communities. We recall the case of the killing of a promising youth in Okpoama community, Iruo Ayibatonyo Jnr by the same group of boys sent by same APC leader in February 2018 during a youth election there.”

He wondered why the security agencies left the APC chieftain to go unpunished despite his involvement in a series of cult-related happenings in the area.

He said the people of Twon Brass have been living in fear for several years since the politician began using known cultists in the community.

The NPD also said until the APC chieftain is arrested and made to face the law, the oil-rich Brass Kingdom will not know peace.

The group in a statement by its Coordinator, Mr. Temple Igbikiri, accused the APC member of arming youths of Brass and recruiting known cultists to advance his political interest.

The group noted that the APC stalwart shunned every avenue to bring peace to Brass and reportedly refused to honour the invitation of the police to clear his name from the recent crisis in the area.