The Bayelsa Government has assured justice for the late Moses Akanda, killed in a clash between youths of Yenezue-Epie and operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the assurance at a meeting with the leadership of Yenezue-Epie, the deceased family, the Commissioner of Police (CP), and other stakeholders at the Government House, Yenagoa.
Akanda was killed on Wednesday at Yenezue-Epie during a raid by operatives of NDLEA, which sparked some protests in the area.
The deputy governor urged security agencies to always be thorough and professional in the way they carry out their duties.
He stressed that every life, including that of a suspect, remained sacred until proven guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction.
Expressing his condolence and that of the state government to the bereaved family, Ewhrudjakpo assured that no stone would be left unturned to unravel the circumstances leading to the death of Akanda.
He directed the CP to ensure that investigations into the incident be concluded within a week for the matter to be charged to court.
“The government is aware that our son (Moses) was unjustifiably killed but let us give the police one week to identify the person who shot our son.
“The law is that if you are going to arrest a person and the person tries to escape, you shoot below the waist and not above the waist.
“While we are waiting for the law to take its full course, I really want to appeal to all of us, particularly the bereaved family, not to do anything that will make us unequally yoked like the killers of our son,” he said.
Ewhrudjakpo promised that the government would support the burial of the deceased as soon as investigations were concluded, in addition to taking care of his immediate family and pregnant wife.
He, however, cautioned the youths and people of Epie Kingdom against frequent resort to street protests as a means of expressing their grievances and demands.
According to him, the doors of Governor Douye Diri’s administration are open to receive and handle genuine complaints of communities to sustain the prevailing peace in the state.
In her remarks, the Member representing Yenagoa Constituency 1 in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Ayibanegiyefa Egba, described the incident as sad and provocative.
She noted that such shootings resulting in fatalities had become one too many in Epie kingdom.
Egba, however, appealed for calm on the part of the bereaved family and Yenezue-Epie community, assuring that the government was doing everything possible to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
In their separate remarks, the Odapiri-Osusu of Epie Kingdom, Ernest Samuel, and the President, Oguan Youth Council, Mr Inatimi Timothy, however, sounded optimistic.
They said they were pleased with the timely and mature manner the state government was handling the matter through the Office of the Deputy Governor.
They appealed to the government to look into the plights of the deceased’s aged mother, Madam Darlin Akanda, and his pregnant widow, Favour Akanda.
They pressed for speedy investigation, arrest, and prosecution of those responsible for the killing.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA had in a news statement on the incident said that cult groups opposed its officers from arresting a female drug baron, engaging them in a gun duel.
The NDLEA spokesman, Daniel Obah, said the cult groups dumped the lifeless body of the youth in their office and freed the arrested suspected female drug dealer, simply identified as Rebecca.
The agency added that the timely intervention of the police rescue team saved the situation from degenerating any further.
