Three persons were on Tuesday feared killed following a clash between
security operatives and kinsmen of late former Governor Diepreye
Alamiyeiseigha in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa State.
The clash, which reportedly started in the morning at the gate of the
state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), was said to have left many
people injured.
It was gathered that the university community was thrown into tension
as sporadic gunshots and fired teargas canisters caused panic among the
residents.
The problem was said to have started when a detachment of armed
security operatives, who arrived the community early in the morning,
forcefully opened the gate of the troubled school.
The school was shut down by aggrieved community women, whose names
were removed from NDU’s payroll after they were indicted by the ongoing
public sector reforms of Governor Seriake Dickson.
The women, who insisted that their names must be returned to the
payroll against civil service rules, were said to have hired the
services of a welder to permanently seal the university’s gate.
To find an amicable resolution to the issues, the government recently
dispatched a team of negotiators led by the Chief of Staff, Talford
Ongolo and the Commissioner for Education to meet with the protesters
and the host community.
It was gathered that among the resolutions of the parley were
agreements that the university should review the fate of the sacked
workers and suspend the protest to allow academic activities resume in
the university.
Despite the agreements, the host community continued with its protest refusing to unseal the gate of NDU.
The protesters including women and youths were said to be angry when
they woke up in the morning to discover that the school’s gate was
forcefully opened and surrounded by scores of heavily armed security
operatives.
They were said to have regrouped in their numbers and marched towards the gate to confront the security men.
A source from the community who spoke in confidence
said: “The security operatives including the police, soldiers and men
of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were overwhelmed
by the crowd rushing towards them.
“They first retreated into the premises of the university and called
for reinforcement. Later they started throwing teargas canisters at them
and shooting at the protesters. Many were injured and about three
persons were shot. They were feared dead but were immediately rushed to
the hospital”.
A lecturer from the university who also spoke in confidence said
Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) were deployed to reinforce security
at the troubled community.
“Some persons have been shot by security operatives following protest
by women and some youths on the forceful reopening of the NDU school
gate”, he said.
A student doctor at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital
(NDUTH) said one of the shot victims was brought to the Accident and
Emergency ward of the hospital.
Some leaders from Southern Ijaw condemned the use of force to address the issues in the school and its host community.
A former Acting Governor of the state, Chief Nestor Binabo, asked
security operatives to apply caution insisting that the problem could
only be resolved by sustained dialogue between the community and the
government.
Binabo urged security operatives to immediately leave Amassoma community to avoid further bloodshed in the area.
He said: “This whole issue shouldn’t have been allow to escalate to
this level. Security operatives including soldiers have no business in
this matter.
“It should have been resolved by appeal to conscience and dialogue between the school management and the host community.
“It is condemnable that it has resulted in loss of lives and injuries
to my kinsmen. Efforts should be made to withdraw the security
operatives to avoid further bloodshed”.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Don Awunah, was said to have
led a team of senior police officers to the scene of the crisis.
