Bayelsa establishes team to look into Opu-Nembe killings

The Nembe-Bassambiri hamlet was the scene of violence on February 15 that claimed the lives of three local residents. On Tuesday, the Bayelsa State government established a six-member Judicial Panel of Enquiry to investigate the incident.

About six months have passed since the incident before the investigation.

Justice Margaret Akpomiemie, a former chief judge of the state, will serve as the panel’s chairwoman, and Mr. Diepreye Omubo, a representative of the state ministry of justice, will act as secretary. Love Amaseimogha, Mrs. Josephine Igodo, Chief Fedude Zimughan, and Vining Goselle, a representative of the National Human Rights Commission’s Bayelsa office, are the other members.

The group has three weeks to do its task, which includes submitting a report of its conclusions to the government for the right course of action.

At the judicial panel’s inauguration at the Government House in Yenagoa, Governor Douye Diri stated that their mandate was to carefully investigate the underlying causes of the unrest in Nembe-Basambiri that resulted in the fatalities on February 15.

Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Diri’s deputy, who attended the ceremony in his place, said the panel’s chairman and members were carefully chosen for their qualifications and depth of expertise to complete the important task.

In a statement, Mr Doubara Atasi, the deputy governor’s press secretary, stated, “We are going to find out what caused the death and who killed them. Every life matters, so this is crucial.