Bayelsa: Four policemen, two soldiers, eight others feared killed; Dickson leads; hoodlums on the rampage, arrested

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, on Saturday, condemned the electoral malpractice and violence which disrupted the supplementary elections in Brass, Nembe, Ekeremor town and parts of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
Over 14 people, including four policemen, two soldiers and eight civilians were feared dead in Ekeremor while many members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were reportedly attacked in Brass and Southern Ijaw.
The victims were said to be in critical conditions at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.
The governor, who wept for those that were killed, prayed for God to grant their souls eternal rest.
While calling for the arrest of the perpetrators of the killings, Dickson condoled the families of those who have lost their dear ones. He thanked Bayelsans for reposing confidence in him and his administration and expressed confidence of victory.
According to Dickson, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has never been happy with the the mantra of ‘one man, one vote’ anchored on transparency and fairness.
The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, accused chieftains of the APC of masterminding the killing of innocent Bayelsans in Brass, Ekeremor, Nembe and Southern Ijaw LGAs.
He wondered “why the APC would kill to capture power desperately through the backdoor, by hook or crook.”
While reiterating his earlier stance that the APC was not ready for one-man one- vote, the governor said the violence has also vindicated him on his earlier position that the security agencies particularly, the Nigerian military are partisan and not willing to provide the enabling environment for a free and fair election to take place.
Iworiso-Markson said, “The governor also accused the security agencies of providing cover for the APC to perpetrate violence and rig the elections in the state. To achieve their sinister plot, APC militants hijacked election materials and wrote results in many wards of Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor town and Brass while elections were disrupted in parts of Yenagoa and in a polling unit in Otokpoti, Ogbia LG. The governor called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to cancel the elections in polling units where the APC hijacked election and results written.
Meanwhile, the election seems to have been won by Dickson as the PDP leads the APC with 62 per cent of the total votes cast.
Already party chieftains are in celebration mood as PDP has chalked up a total of 11,567 of the 14,445 rerun votes, thereby leaving the major opposition party, All Progressive Congress (APC), with a mere 2,721 votes from the figures released so far.
In total, the PDP is leading the APC with more than 40,000 votes.
Dickson also made a clean sweep of Amassoma, the home town of the state’s first civilian governor, the late Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha.
Meanwhile, the state police command has commenced investigation on the alleged snatching of ballot box during the election.
The command spokesman, Mr Asinim Butswat, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said in Yenagoa that two suspects were arrested for forcefully removing the box at Otuokpoti, Unit 1, Ward 2, Ogbia Local Government Area.
“ As we speak, two suspects who snatched the ballot box are in our custody. We have commenced investigation on the incident.
“ So far, we have not received report of any incident since the election began early today in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and other polling units in other parts of the state,“ he said.
Butswat said Police team leader for the election, Mr Hashim Argungu, a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), accompanied by heads of other security agencies and one Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commissioner, visited some polling units.
“ The team visited Agudama-Epetiama community in Yenagoa Local Government Area, with three polling units.
“The situation was calm and reports from other polling units say all was calm,’’ he said.
The spokesman said that the command was in control of the situation and that personnel deployed for the election were effectively monitoring areas assigned to them.
Meanwhile, polling in the governorship supplementary election in Bayelsa being conducted in Southern Ijaw Local Government and 101 units in other parts of the state, has ended in most polling stations.
The December 5, 2015 governorship election in the state was marred in Southern Ijaw and some polling units across the state by violence.
The exercise was consequently cancelled in the areas by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after attempt to repeat the exercise on December 6, was also disrupted by violence.
In the 75 polling units in Amasoma ward, voting ended at about 4.10 p.m., while it was concluded at Peremebiri at 3.25 p.m.
Also, two persons suspected to be agents of one of the political parties were arrested for allegedly snatching a ballot box.
The suspects were arrested by soldiers at Otuokpoti Unit 1, Ward 2, Ogbia Local Government Area, where the box was allegedly snatched.
The suspects were said to have forcefully carried the ballot box while polling was ongoing at the unit.
The incident caused pandemonium at the unit but after the suspects were taken away, accreditation and voting resumed.
An INEC official in the ward confirmed that security reinforcement had been sent to the area and that election would continue.
A member of the security team in the ward said that the suspects would be taken to Yenagoa, the state capital, while investigation would be carried out on the incident.