Panel reports 21 Killed, 195 injured in Bayelsa pre-election violence

The panel set up by Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson to probe the pre-election violence in the state last year has reported that 21 people were killed and 195 injured in Nembe Council.

Receiving the report yesterday, the governor described as barbaric the incident that led to the gruesome murder of the 21 persons in political violence during the botched Peoples Democratic Peoples Party (PDP) campaign in Nembe three days to the November 16, 2019 gubernatorial election in the state.

The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Fidelis Soriwei, described the level of violence perpetrated in Nembe as tragic and sacrilegious.

“What took place in Nembe should be referred to as ‘Nembe Massacre’. It’s unfortunate that in this day and age, this continues to happen from time to time in our country and in this state particularly,” he said.

Governor Dickson expressed dismay that the perpetrators of the heinous acts were yet to be apprehended and brought to justice over two months after the election.

He stressed the need for his administration to properly document the incident for posterity.

However, he contended that while the wheel of justice might be slow, he was optimistic that justice would prevail in the slaughter of innocent people just before the Bayelsa gubernatorial election.

“The Federal Government appeared not to be bordered about people who were killed in the name of politics and election. They wanted to take this state by force, and we thought we should document it.

“You never can tell; sometimes the history hands of justice move very slowly, but they sure will move and I can tell, it will happen,” he added

Presenting the report, chairman of the panel, former Commissioner of Police, Akpoebi Agberebi, explained that 195 persons sustained various degrees of injuries.

Mr. Agberebi said that at the end of the public sittings, 379 victims appeared before the panel.

He noted that the panel recorded 19 missing persons and 350 complainants whose properties were vandalised.

“A total of 195 persons sustained various injuries, either by gunshot or some persons who were running and fell down. The number of persons that reported that their properties were vandalised were 350.”