The Bayelsa State government has attributed Saturday’s shootout between police officers and armed youths in Nembe-Basambri to the forthcoming November 11 governorship election in the State.
The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Chief Ayibaina Duba disclosed this in a statement he issued on Sunday.
The statement said the government was of the “strong suspicion“ that the incident was not unconnected with the forthcoming poll in the State.
Media reports that hoodlums in Nembe Local Government Area of the State engaged a police team deployed to the area in a gun duel on Saturday.
The statement expressed the government’s displeasure over the shootings, saying “it created a serious sense of insecurity, panic and fear among the people of the community.
“Government will continue to work with the police and its sister agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to book.”
“The Bayelsa State Government calls on the Inspector General of Police to cause an immediate investigation aimed at unravelling the identity of these criminals and their sponsors who have continued to undermine public peace in Nembe.
“It is time to stop handling the tormentors of the Nembe people with a kid glove,” the statement said.