PUNCH NEWS

HOODLUM on Wednesday invaded the Sagbama Local Government Legislative Assembly in Bayelsa State and attacked councillors during official sitting.

Some persons were said to have been injured in the incident as people scampered to different directions following the violent disruption of proceedings.

The hoodlums were said to have brandished cutlasses, locally made guns and other dangerous weapons.

It was gathered that the attack was not unconnected with the invitation of the principal staff of the council by the councillors as part of their oversight functions.

Governor Douye Diri’s predecessor and senator representing Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, Mr Seriake Dickson, hails from Sagbama LGA.

Leader of the council’s legislative arm, Mr Ebikake Dickson, confirmed the incident and claimed they were attackers loyal to the chairman of the local government, Embeleakpo Alale.

According to him, the invaders swooped on them while they sitting and disrupted their session with impunity.

Dickson said, “Last Wednesday, I called for sitting. In our sitting, we resolved to invite principal officials of the council to submit their comprehensive documents for us to do our oversight functions.

“But Wednesday, when we got to the council secretariat, we saw some strange faces. We wondered who invited them to the secretariat. We also saw the Chief Security Officer to the Chairman giving instructions to the hooligans.

“We overheard some of them saying they were acting on instructions and that they would deal with anybody that misbehaved. Some of them went to where the Ward 5 Councillor parked her car and ordered the driver to leave. In the process, they attacked and injured the driver.

“When we saw that the problem was getting out of hand, we called the President of the youth of Sagbama to come to our rescue. When they came, the CSO blocked the council gate. The youths engaged in a scuffle with them and some youths were injured.”

He said it was the intervention of the youths and the police from area command that saved their lives.

“Our lives are in danger. From now till the end of our tenure, if anything happens to any of us, the public should know where to beam their searchlight on,” Dickson stated.

However, the chairman of the council, Embeleakpo Alale, said the attack was carried out by unidentified hoodlums.

Alale, who posted his reaction on his Facebook wall, called for calm, saying he had ordered a full scale investigation into the incident.

He said it was the intervention of the youths and the police from area command that saved their lives.

“Our lives are in danger. From now till the end of our tenure, if anything happens to any of us, the public should know where to beam their searchlight on,” Dickson stated.

But the Chairman of the council, Embeleakpo Alale, said the attack was perpetrated by unidentified hoodlums.

He said it was the intervention of the youths and the police from area command that saved their lives.