Yenagoa – The Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Bayelsa State Command, has given a security report of some areas in the Yenagoa metropolis for the months of May-August, 2024.
In the report signed by the VGN Bayelsa State/South-South Zonal Commander, Mr. Jonathan Tolumobofa, it noted that on May 5, 2024 the security outfit in collaboration with the Gwegwe Street security committee were able to restore calmness to the street by successfully securing and protecting lives and property of residents.
According to Tolumobofa, VGN also curtailed the worrisome activities of armed cult gangs from robbing and snatching people’s phones, including killing innocent people, raping girls and women and burglary, among other ills.
The commander however said that on May 26, 2024 at about 9:00pm, a five-man armed gang equipped with pump action guns robbed A. A. Zurmi Business Centre, a POS/phone charging shop and stole cash and valuables including mobile phones running into hundreds of thousand at 21 Arietalin Street.
On the night of May 31, 2024, the vigilante officer said some unidentified burglars within the Arietalin axis stole 28 wrappers allegedly worth N262,000.00 from a clothes and bags shop belonging to one Mrs. Ebiere Offongo, adding that before then some other persons also burgled a provision shop owned by one Mrs. Benedicta Timothy, close to Church of God Mission, when they broke through the ceiling and stole a 50kg bag of rice.
Commenting on the month of June, the VGN commander said unidentified burglars stole computers also from the Church of God Mission, while on June 9, 2024, one suspect popularly called Barakin, in company of three others, suspected to be from Ovom enclave vandalized a transformer feeders cables (four in number and estimated to cost over two million naira) calculated to be 124ft in length at Arietalin.
“The armed gangs were fearless and confidently vandalized the cables at gunpoint. One Abson Abalaba who courageously challenged the gangsters was threatened to be killed. They also threatened one lady, Chioma who resides opposite the control panel of the transformer.
“After the operation, the same armed gang also left Arietalin to vandalize a transformer and stole cables at UPE Primary Secondary School opposite Gwegwe junction on the same day”, he stated.
On the report for July, 2024, the security chief said six unknown assailants with pump action gun shot at their officer, David Effiong at his residence in Obele Street around 9.00pm on July 18, 2024 on the chest and shot at another, Peter Adechi on his rib and right hand as well as two other persons on their legs.
“They were admitted at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa Emergency ward. From our investigations, drug cartels are behind the upsurge of crime backing criminal gangs and cult boys in order to operate their drug business unhindered in the affected areas.
“Because of the incessant attacks, the community constituted a vigilante team in collaboration with the Police to counter the criminals at Obele area,” Tolumobofa said.
He said that the month of August was not also left out in the brutal assault on innocent citizens as a meat seller at Swali market, called Prosper who hails from Akwa-Ibom State was shot on the head and died as a result at Obele on the 28th of August, adding that his corpse has been deposited at the FMC morgue.
“Again on the 29th of August, 2024 one vigilante guard named George at Obele ( Emi school, now defunct) was shot on his leg, waist and left hand severally around Assemblies of God Church, Obele street by Greenland Cultists.
“Their reason for attacking George was for them to have free operation at Obele as the cultists have vowed to kill vigilantes preventing them from carrying out their notorious activities” , the officer said.
He explained that the resurgence of crime and criminality usually occur between March and July every year before the presence of VGN brought respite to the area from 2020-2023, tremendously impacting the area in terms of security.
The commander recommended that conventional security agencies such as the Army, Navy, Police, NCDSC embark on joint patrol campaigns with them to deter armed gangs terrorizing the affected areas and to beef up security at the Flashpoints to checkmate cultists and douse tension and fear of residents.
