Yenagoa—The Bayelsa State Police Command has deployed an anti-riot squad to restore normalcy at Kpansia and its environs, over the unfortunate murder of a community youth by a tricycle rider.
The youth was allegedly stabbed to death by the tricycle rider over a minor disagreement.
In a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Asinim Buswat, the Command condemned the action of the tricycle rider, who was also lynched to death by irate youths and also appealed to members of the community to be calm.
Meanwhile, the Governorship Candidate of Labour Party (LP) in Bayelsa State, Engr. Udengs Eradiri has also condemned the violent incident.
Eradiri described the incident as a careless waste of a precious life in the state, calling on relevant security agencies to immediately intervene to avert a possible breakdown of law and order.
He appealed to the youths, especially the people of Epie-Atissa whose son was killed in the incident, to remain calm and avoid the temptation of taking laws into their own hands.
The former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) urged the people not to capitalize on the incident to engage in ethnic profiling of their neighbours.
He said the Ijaw, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo among others had lived peacefully together as brothers and sisters and that the irresponsible actions of one person should not be used to judge others from his ethnic group.
Eradiri insisted that the assailant must be fished out and made to face the wrath of the law to act as a deterrent for persons, who might fail to put their provocation in check.
He said: “The life of everybody in this state matters and no act of provocation should lead to taking any life. The police must investigate the incident, arrest the culprit and ensure that he is publicly tried and made to face the wrath of the law.
“May we avoid the temptation of capitalising on the incident to engage in ethnic profiling of our neighbours. As Ijaw, we have continued to live peacefully with Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba among others and we consider them as our brothers and sisters.
“We can only isolate criminal elements among us without using their acts to define their ethnic backgrounds. This is where we call on security agencies to diligently do their work to calm frayed nerves. We sympathise with the bereaved family and the entire people of the state.”
