Armed men dressed in military and police uniforms, on Saturday night, invaded Opu-Nembe community in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Community sources said the armed men arrived Opu-Nembe in 19 Hilux vans and three Coaster buses.
Their mission was reportedly to engage in mass arrest of persons believed to be against the governorship bid of Chief Timipre Sylva, the APC candidate in the November 11 election in the state.
Sylva is from the community.
Some individuals were injured as they scampered for safety while one person was said to have died from gunshot fired by the armed men.
The community leadership was said to have ordered the town criers to announce that the people should stand firm and resist the invasion of their community.
Youths, women and chiefs were also said to have resisted the onslaught.
A community source who confirmed the incident said: “About 7pm on Saturday, August 12, 2023, about 19 Hilux vehicles and three Coaster buses with fully armed policemen invaded the ancient city of Opu-Nembe and have inflicted harm on innocent citizens.
“The armed policemen, we strongly believe, were sent on this mission by the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, in a bid to intimidate and harass the people to support his governorship bid under the APC.
“Their primary mission, we strongly suspect, is to arrest chiefs and prominent individuals in the community who refused to support his ambition.”
A similar attack on the community in February this year left no fewer than three persons dead.
Several petitions to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) allegedly fingered one Kojo Sam as the mastermind of the attack. But the police authorities are yet to act on the petitions.
There is also a subsisting court order restraining both the IGP and the Commissioner of Police in charge of SWAT from arresting any chief or community folk, pending the determination of the matter at a Federal High Court.
