Bayelsa APC accused of masterminding attack on military base

A socio-political organisation, Ijaw Young Professionals in Bayelsa State, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding the recent attack on military men in Nembe in which four soldiers and a mobile policeman were reportedly killed.

The IYP described the attack as part of a plot allegedly being used a former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva and APC to create a sense of insecurity in the state ahead of the December 5 governorship elections.

A statement issued on Saturday in Yenagoa by the Spokesperson of the organisation, Seighfa Tonye-Brown, alleged that the yet to be identified gun men had attacked the military personnel at about 12 midnight on Thursday, killed the four men in uniform and collected their rifles.

He also claimed the gun men removed four machine guns from the military boats and another machine gun that was placed on duty, adding that these weapons were being collected to be used during the elections.

Tonye-Brown alleged that this latest incident was among the plans being hatched by the opposition party to unleash, between now and the election, tension and insecurity in the state in order to force the hand of President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency and possibly take over the state.

The strategy, he said, would also lead to change in the security high command in Bayelsa State as a ploy to claim that the change was necessary because of high level of violence and insecurity in the state, adding that the impending change could take place next week.

“By next week, we are well informed, that the Police Commissioner and Director of SSS will be replaced with new officers who will do the bidding of the APC in the forthcoming governorship elections.”

Brown, who called on the security agencies to take his allegations seriously, said that an APC chieftain had during the week boasted that Governor Seriake Dickson will be removed from office by all means, noting that the opposition party had perfected strategies to carry out the plot to remove the governor by resorting to violence to achieve its objective.

“Already, this attack on the military men is a clear pointer to the execution of the evil plot and we are reliably informed that more sinister actions are on the way.”

He, however, assured Bayelsans that, given the strong security architecture in place in the state, the Dickson-led government has sworn to deal with any security threat.

The group also called on President Buhari not to be drawn into the Sylva-led APC antics, stating that violence has been the opposition leader’s stock in trade.

“To former governor, Timipre Sylva, violence is a normal way of life. The resort to violence as the only means of winning elections in this state is no longer fashionable. The people of the only Ijaw state say no to violence. We reject APC and its brand of violent politics. Their hope that with increased violence and insecurity will force Buhari to declare a state of emergency in Bayelsa State has failed.”

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