Wilcox Job, the paramount ruler of the Swali community in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has urged the state government to erect police stations in key areas to prevent more murders in the area.
On Easter Sunday, suspected cultists broke into the Swali settlement, resulting in the verified deaths of four people and the injuries of several more.
According to information obtained by The Intercept, the masked attackers drove into the neighbourhood in a Toyota Hilux van at around midnight and began firing randomly.
Speaking on the incident, the leader of the Swali village stated that to prevent such attacks, the community has asked for the establishment of a police post.
“I call on the state government to set up police posts at strategic points to avert future attacks and also establish a police station in the community to safeguard the lives of my subjects,” Job said.
When contacted, the Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Musa Mohammed, who confirmed the attack, said security has been beefed up to restore normalcy in the community.
He said the attack may not be related to a cult clash, but law enforcement measures were in place to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.
“Normalcy has returned to the community and security measures have been put in place to ensure no further breakdown of law and order or destruction of lives and property,” Mohammed stated.
Giving a narration of the incident, a resident, who did not want to be named, described the attack as terrible, saying the community has not witnessed such violence unleashed on innocent citizens in recent times.
“It was terrible, I have never seen anything like this since I started living here over 10 years ago,” he told The Intercept on Tuesday.
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Even though there is now a sense of peace after the attack, the neighbourhood, which has previously seen violence tied to cults, is nevertheless uncomfortable.
Several security formations in the state are located in Swali Community, which is home to the state’s largest market, Swali Ultra Modern Market.
Hon. Ayibanegiyefa Egba, the representative for Yenagoa Constituency 1 in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, has denounced the assault that claimed four lives.
Egba called the incident “barbaric” during his visit to the village on Tuesday.
Egba sent his sympathies to the whole Swali community as well as the families of the deceased.
Egba underlined that to fend off outside influences, the community must be united and vigilant.
Egba further advised the youths to shun vices that could truncate their lives.
Egba said: “This attack is brutal and I condole with the families of those who have lost loved ones. I call on all the residents to be united and vigilant in the face of this incident.
“I equally call on the youths to shun external influences and also shun vices that can truncate their lives.”
