Bayelsa government calls for calm after student’s murder

• Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo met with leaders to address the situation
  

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The Bayelsa State Government has urged residents to remain calm following the murder of Francis Paleowei, a final-year student at Niger Delta University, in the host community of Amassoma.

Paleowei, a 400-level Sociology student from the Obrigbene community in Ekeremor Local Government Area, was killed on Tuesday during a dispute over a N150 payment to take a photograph at a sand dump.

Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo met with leaders from both communities on Thursday to address the situation.

He appealed to the deceased’s family and the entire Obrigbene community to maintain peace.

“We express our condolences to the bereaved family of the Obrigbene community over the killing of their son in Amassoma,” Ewhrudjakpo said.

“We are pleading with the family and Obrigbene community to remain calm as the government is on top of the situation through the security agencies.”

A statement by Doubara Atasi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, emphasized that the state government is collaborating with security agencies to arrest and prosecute the culprits.

“Already, the prime suspect has been arrested and is in police custody,” Ewhrudjakpo assured.

He also called on the Amassoma community to work with security personnel to ensure all suspects are apprehended.

“Our message to the student community at NDU, much like that to the people of Obrigbene, is for them to remain calm and law-abiding, and they should not contemplate revenge,” he added.

Ewhrudjakpo urged community leaders to be proactive in preventing such incidents.

“We want to once again call on our community leaders to be more alive to their responsibilities in their respective communities to nip negative actions in the bud in our society.”

Representatives of the bereaved family, Odudu Awipi and Cletus Paleowei, insisted that the killers must be brought to justice.

“We want to see that the culprits face the full consequences of their actions,” they stated.