The Bayelsa State government has dissociated itself from the nine suspected terrorists arrested in a building in Lagos which belongs to it.
Confirming today in Yenagoa that the property indeed is Bayelsa’s, the Commissioner for Information, Markson Fefegha, denied any links with the suspected criminals who found the abandoned building a suitable base for their nefarious activities. He said that further investigation by security agencies was necessary, and that the government has dispatched a team of engineers to assess the state of the building.
The Ojora of Ijora, Chief Fatai Aromire, revealed on Tuesday revealed that the notorious terrorists operational base uncovered recently in Lagos belongs to the Bayelsa State Government.
“Our findings show that the abandoned building belongs to Bayelsa state and the governor has directed that the building be demolished and a more befitting house built and put to use,” he said. “We await the report of the team sent to assess the situation; no responsible government can habour terrorists.”
Fefegha said that the government has been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and other violent crime, drawing attention to a recently-enacted law which prescribes the death penalty for convicted kidnappers.
That law, however, has yet to provide deterrence to violent criminals, as two kidnap incidents have taken place in the State within one week of the enactment of the legislation.
Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum and Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-cultural organization, have called for a full investigation of the terrorism saga.
In a statement, Afenifere called on both the Lagos State and the Federal Government to launch a full-scale investigation into the claim by the traditional ruler to unravel the truth and bring the culprits to book in view of the psychological warfare that has been waged against Yorubaland about a possible terror attack for about a year now.
According to the group, what has largely been perceived as a threat is assuming a near reality with the discovery of this terror hideout, adding that the identity of the suspects and what links they have with the dreaded Boko Haram or army must be ascertained.
Afenifere also wants to know why the Bayelsa State Government would maintain an abandoned property in Ijora-Badia of all places in Lagos and did not want to give it out to those interested in using the place.
“The veracity of claims that the Bayelsa State Government has been approached several times by the community to demolish the house or give it to people who may use it without any response is very important at this time,” the statement said. “A satisfactory explanation would dispel the conspiracy theory that Boko Haram may have become a franchise under which fifth columnists may be operating to disrupt the peace of Yorubaland and instigate a national crisis with our land as a possible battle ground."
The statement described the Yoruba as peace-loving and their land a place where people from all nationalities from Nigeria are at home without any fear of molestation.
Also commenting on the arrest of 30 job seekers on Tuesday in Yenagoa, Fefegha dismissed the claim that the government was insensitive to the plight of unemployed youths. The youths were reportedly arraigned before a magistrate court in Yenagoa, which remanded them in prison custody.
