British govt lauds crime prevention partnership
Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has vowed to continuously clamp down on illicit drug peddling and criminal activities in Yenagoa and other parts of the state.

Diri issued the warning yesterday during the 42nd State Security Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, while speaking on last weekend’s demolition of a drug dealer’s hideout, popularly known as Aboki Quarters, at Yenizue-Gene by a combined team of security agencies in the state.

He warned that more demolitions would take place at any such locations identified in the state.

He said he gave the directive for the demolition when the activities in the area was brought to his attention and commended the service commanders for the swift operation.

The governor stated that, upon visiting the area, he learnt that those displaced had moved to a location opposite the demolished site and directed the security agencies to beam their searchlights on the area.

Present at the meeting was a delegation from the British High Commission in Nigeria, led by the Deputy High Commissioner, Gill Lever, who said the visit was to assess a British government programme, Brighter Futures, a crime prevention outreach in partnership with the state government.

Lever said the visit was to brief the governor on the partnership over the last three years, alongside three other states in the country.

According to her, the programme’s target is to curb cultism and illicit drugs at the grassroots, bring vulnerable young people out of crime, and equip them with vocational skills to build their own livelihoods.

She commended the state government for prioritising security and youth empowerment