Military Men Invade Bayelsa Community, Burn Houses

Many residents of Bilabiri community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State fled their homes yesterday when men in military uniforms burned their houses and chased them away.

The invasion came after some military personnel were reportedly killed in the area. A source that the invasion began around 10:00am yesterday when the men came into the community in boats and started setting houses ablaze.

He said many residents fled into the forest. The Chairman of Bilabiri I Community, Mr. Esau Darosha, in a statement called on the state government to intervene to stop further destruction of the community and displacement of residents.

The paramount ruler of Bilabiri, King Paul Seide, whose palace was also affected, said he had to hide in the forest during the invasion. He said: “We were all in my palace when some of my subjects ran to me to inform me about military presence and asked me to run but I told them that I could not leave my palace, but they pressurized me to run, saying there were over 16 military gunboats at the waterside.

“As soon as I left my palace they came and burned my palace into ashes and that of my younger brother. They did not arrest anybody or leave any message. I returned to my community to meet my palace burnt to ashes,” he said. The spokesman of the 16 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Yenagoa, Major Jonah Danjuma, did not pick his calls or reply a text message sent to him on the incident.