Criminality: Bayelsa warns residents against cultism, drug peddling
Bayelsa State Government has read the Riot Act against perpetrators of cult activities, drug peddling and other crimes in the state.
To this end, the government had indicated its readiness to handsomely reward youth leaders who play outstanding role in collaborating with security agencies to get rid of cultists and drug peddlers in their communities.
Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo disclosed this at separate meetings with youth leaders from Southern Ijaw and Sagbama Local Government Areas in Yenagoa over the weekend.
Underscoring the relationship between substance abuse, cultism and criminality, he said the present administration would leave no stone unturned in its determination to reduce crime to the barest minimum in the state.
Ewhrudjakpo called on the youth and community leaders to emulate the leadership of Imiringi Town in Ogbia Local Government Area who recently invited and supported security agencies to flush out drug dealers and criminals terrorising their community.
Ewhrudjakpo, who charged the youths to cooperate with government in the fight against kidnapping and other criminal activities urged them not to allow illegal crude oil refining popularly known as “kpo fire” in their areas.
He stated: “I told the youths of Ekeremor and Kolokuma/Opokuma the other day, and I’m repeating it today, that any youth president that makes his community free from crime of cultism and drug abuse will have an award from my office.
“This is one way we can use to encourage you to be part of the fight against crime. We have to fight to protect the future of our state.
“Those who are into criminal activities are few in any society. So why must we allow them to hold all of us to ransom. This government will not allow that. We are determined to do everything within our reach to flush them out from our communities.”
In their contributions, the Governor’s Special Representative of Southern Ijaw, Hon. Ogili Temple, and his Sagbama counterpart, Hon Tamarabere Oguoh, commended the present administration for making the Yenagoa-Oporoma and Sagbama-Ekeremor road projects a priority.
On his part, the Chairman of Southern Ijaw LGA, Chief Nigeria Kia, represented by his vice, Mr Parkinson Ogede, pledged to work harder to curb security challenges in the area.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Central Zone, Comrade Clever Inodu, called on the youths of Bayelsa to take a decisive stand against electoral violence, vandalism of government property and other crimes in their communities.
On their part, the service Commanders including the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ben Okolo, the Area Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), ACM Bashir Oladosu and the State Director, Department of State Security, Mr Femi Akin, appealed to the youths to cooperate with security agencies in the interest of peace and development.
