Bayelsa Election Violence: Police to Arrest Ex-Militant Leader, Ogunboss

 

Police in Bayelsa State say they are going after an ex-militant leader, Eris Paul, popularly known as General Ogunboss, and his lieutenants, suspected in the outbreak of violence during the supplementary election of the gubernatorial poll in the state on Saturday.

The State Police Commissioner, Peter Ogunyanwo, made this known in an interview with Premium Times in Yenagoa. Mr. Ogunyanwo said reports made available to the command showed that the ex-militant leader in company of heavily armed soldiers, policemen and youth, invaded Peremambiri community.

Peremambiri is a community located in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and was one of the locations for the supplementary election. According to Mr. Ogunyanwo, several persons including the King of Peremambiri Kingdom, Progress Never Die, were allegedly shot by the ex-militant.

“We received report that the Peremambiri king was allegedly attacked by an ex-militant called Ogunboss,” the police boss said.

“I came to visit the king on the directive of the IG and to wish him heavenly recovery and by God’s grace, he shall make it.

“Currently, we learnt that the ex-militant is still at the riverine part of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. We have our gunboats patrolling the area to ensure that we track him down.

“We learnt that he is still within the area and our officers and men are monitoring to ensure that he is arrested anytime they spot him if he tries to come back to Yenagoa or Peremambiri.”

The police commissioner said the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, had earlier directed that security operatives be withdrawn from the ex-militant.