5 shot dead in Bayelsa

It was a bloody weekend in Bayelsa State as five people were shot and killed in various locations across the state.
It started with the killing of two ex-militant leaders in a restaurant while they were eating in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

According to sources, one of the ex-militant leaders known as ‘Commander Akina’ was in company with a fellow ex-militant whose identity was not immediately known when somebody just entered into the restaurant and opened fire killing the two of them on the spot.
 Their death was said to be unconnected to the disagreement on the monthly amnesty allowances paid through the various leaders by the Federal Government amnesty committee.
The shooting which did not last more than two minutes forced people to scamper for safety with some residents immediately calling the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) and alerting the Divisional Police Officer (DPO).
Operation Famou Tangbei was immediately contacted and the corpses were handed over to it before it was deposited at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) morgue.

At Edepie, two boys escaped death as they were attacked in their house by a gang who shot them and thought they were dead before leaving with some amnesty money, which they accused them of collecting illegally.
Two boys were also killed at the Opolo Park while body of another victim was found by the residents.
Eyewitness account at the Opolo Park said people were caught unawares as the shooting of the two boys was too sudden. The assailants were said to have approached their targets and shot them at close range causing pandemonium with drivers abandoning their vehicles and shops around the area closing hurriedly.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Eguaveon Emoakpe, in an interview confirmed three deaths and said the police were on top of the situation.

According to him, no arrests had been made but said investigations had commenced fully into the incidents.
 Meanwhile, the fighters of the Niger Delta Liberation Forces (NDLF) had again warned that leaving weapons and ammunition used by the group in its battle with men of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the hands of local fighters could spell doom for the security of the region.
 The NDLF after weeks of battle with the JTF had on May 15 announced its surrender, noting that since the JTF did not destroy its armoury, government should take urgent steps to mop them up by integrating the NDLF fighters in the amnesty programme.

 In a statement by its spokesman, Mark Anthony, which re-confirmed the death of its leader, John Togo, NDLF noted that Togo was in talks with the coordinator of the amnesty programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku on the possibility that members of the NDLF gets presidential pardon.
Investigations revealed that NDLF fighters had contacted an Ijaw leader and a well-respected ex-militant leader to reach out to the presidency on their behalf and explore the possibility of a presidential pardon.
Sources said the two emissaries had tried to no avail to convince the presidency on the need to grant the NDLF fighters pardon and integrate them into the amnesty programme.
The Federal Government shut the door on further pardon when it declared that there were no more phases of the amnesty after the second batch was admitted.

NDLF in the statement, however, urged the Federal Government to have re-think on its plans as leaving arms in the hands of local fighters who had expressed the willingness to embrace amnesty was ignored.
 It pointed out that; “this negligence on the part of Federal Government may lead to a future insecurity in Niger Delta. 

source