ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has assured the Igbo community and other non-natives in the state of their safety and security.
He gave the assurance when he met with the leadership of Ohaneze-Ndigbo in the state at the Government House, Yenagoa, according to a statement on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah.
He restated his government’s resolve to invoke the laws of the land against anyone bent on jeopardising the peace and security of lives and property in the state.
Noting that although no society was crime-free, he said his administration would not fold its arms and allow investments in the state to go down the drain due to the activities of criminals.
Diri assured the Ohaneze-Ndigbo leadership and their members doing business in the state that their investments were secure under his administration as they were partners in progress.
Diri said: “The government of Bayelsa will continue to stand by the Constitution and defend the lives and property of everyone living in this state. It is in this light that we are scaling up the security of Bayelsa, particularly in the Yenagoa metropolis.
“All those involved as a syndicate and otherwise in crime and criminality should think twice now. There are laws against kidnapping in this state and those laws will be evoked.
“Our state has been one of the most peaceful in Nigeria and we want it to be that way. Let me further assure you that this government will work hand in gloves with you to protect and secure the lives and property of the Igbo people living in Bayelsa Stat as long as they live within the confines of the laws of Nigeria and the laws of Bayelsa.”
He urged them to disabuse their minds from the notion that the Igbos were targets of any act of crime and criminality, stating that crime had no discrimination.
Speaking earlier, leader of the Ohaneze-Ndigbo in Bayelsa, Mazi Onuma Johnson, said the Igbos had been part of the economic progress in the state and will continue to play their role in the development of the state.
Johnson, who is also the Special Adviser to the Governor on Non-Indigenes, said they were pleased to identify with the Prosperity Government, stating that the motto of every Igbo man is “Prosperity For All.”