The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested one person for allegedly attacking members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Clement Atonyefa, the suspect who is also known as ‘Black Arrow’, was said to have been held down after he attempted to shoot at some of the persons who defected from APC to PDP.
It was gathered that the suspect accosted some of the defectors on their way home after a brief ceremony organised by the Brass Caretaker Chairman, Victor Isaiah, to receive them.
However, his loaded pistol was said to have malfunctioned when he attempted to pull the trigger; in the process, he was overpowered by the youth, who were assisted by the Brass volunteers.
Atonyefa, said to be an APC member, was immediately taken to the Police station in Brass. The suspect and the pistol were reportedly handed over to the Police for interrogation and further investigation.
He was said to have been transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Another version of the incident stated that though some miscreants attltacked the defectors after being allegedly paid by the council boss, Hon. Victor Isiah, the suspect had walked into the scene when a desperate search was being made for the culprits.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Butswat Asinim confirmed the arrest but said it was a case of illegal possession of firearms.
Asinim said youth from the community brought Atonyefa to the Police Station in Brass with a pistol, which they said they recovered from him.
He said though the suspect claimed that the riffle was planted on him by the youth, the police had commenced investigation to determine the truth.
“The suspect was brought to the state headquarters and the Police have commenced investigation into the matter,” he said.
“Those, who handed him over to the Police said they found him with the pistol. But the suspect said the gun was planted on him. We have commenced investigations to determine the truth. It is only investigations that will determine whether the suspect is culpable or not.”
