Unknown gunmen kill journalist in Bayelsa State

It was a black Easter Sunday for men of the pen profession in Bayelsa State as one of them, Famous Giobaro, of the Bayelsa State-owned radio station, Glory FM 97.1, was shot dead in the early hours of yesterday by unknown gunmen.

Giobaro, who worked as a Desk Editor in the station, was reportedly attacked in his house located in a mini estate at the INEC Road area in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The gunmen were said to have broken into his apartment around 5:00a.m. shot him many times in the stomach at close range and left without stealing anything. It was gathered that the killers gained access to his house by climbing the fence through a ladder after cutting the barbwires.

The assassins, who seemed to have knowledge of the house, reportedly pulled down the kitchen door and forced their way to the broadcaster’s bedroom through the living room.

Two unidentified men, who were in the bedroom with the deceased, were said to have tried to prevent the gunmen from entering the room. But they were said to have hidden in the wardrobe and the toilet when the gunmen started shooting unceasingly at the door.

A neighbour of the deceased, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the gunmen’s bullet drilled several holes on the door. He said Giobaro, who tied a piece of wrapper round his waist, was first hit by a bullet as he scrambled out of his bed on hearing the sound of gunshots.

“When the gunmen eventually entered and saw him lying on the floor, they shot him again many times at close range and left through the way they came. They didn’t steal anything and they didn’t go to any other flat. It was a case of assassination,” he said.

The Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the incident, however, said he was yet to get the full details of the incident.

Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on security agencies to investigate the incident and bring the culprits to book.

A statement by its chairman, John Angese, said they received with rude shock the news of the murder. The statement noted that the news of the death of their colleague was a big blow to the journalism family in the state.