ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State government has ordered the suspension of all meetings involving the Community Development Committee, Chiefs’ Council, youths and women groups in the Otuogori community in the Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.
The government also directed the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ben Okolo, to deploy riot police operatives to the community as part of the measures to forestall the breakdown of law and order in the area.
The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the directives on Thursday at a meeting with some stakeholders of the Otuogori Community in Government House Yenagoa.
Ewhrudjakpo warned that on no account should any person or group of persons tamper with the bank accounts of Otuogori until normalcy was fully restored in the community.
Consequently, the state government has constituted a seven-man conflict resolution committee to look into the festering leadership crisis in the Otuogori community.
The committee, which is chaired by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Biriyai Dambo (SAN), is to look into the immediate and remote causes of the leadership tussle, make recommendations and submit its findings to the government within two weeks.
Speaking shortly after setting up the committee, Ewhrudjakpo restated that government would not tolerate actions that would destroy the prevailing peace in any part of the state.
He emphasized the need for communities to be guided by the provisions of the state chieftaincy law on succession or election of their paramount rulers to avoid the wrath of the government.
Ewhrudjakpo, who urged the people to embrace love and peace, warned that henceforth, nobody should parade himself as the paramount ruler or CDC chairman of the Otuogori community until new leadership is duly instituted.
He said: “Don’t allow chieftaincy issues to tear your community apart. As a government, we will not allow any crisis in any community. All that had transpired in your community in recent times and even here is illegality upon illegality.
“The role of CDCs and that of chiefs councils is clearly spelt out in the Chieftaincy Law of Bayelsa State. Nobody should mix the two together.
“Everybody should live peacefully in that community (Otuogori) until the committee finishes their work and we all work together to put in place a new leadership.”
Members of the seven-man committee include the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Development, Chief Thompson Amule; the state Commissioner of Police, Nebolisa Ben Okolo, and the Chairman of Ogbia Local Government Area, Mr Ebinyon Turner.
Others are the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, CP Akpoebi Agberebi (rtd.), the Technical Adviser on Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Douye Naingba as well as the Technical Adviser on Conflict Resolution, Chief Boma Spero-Jack.
