Crisis erupts Obiata Community in Bayelsa • Kypus family attack by gunmen, displace, raises alarm over threat to life • Appeal to Gov Diri, Security Agencies for help

 Crisis erupts Obiata community in Ikensi Clan of Mini Kensi in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa state arising from the activities of gunmen, sea pirates and militants who have been terrorizing the area and given the people a sleepless night.

Deputy Chief Ayeritei Kypus Keriama

The recent attack at Obiata community according to our source was focus on Kypus family where Deputy Chief Ayeritei Kypus Keriama and his father, Elder Inifurobitere Kypus were held hostage , beating mercilessly on gunpoint while destroying  their properties, including goods in provision store, drinks and chart away many other things estimated at millions of Naira.

Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa on Wednesday shortly on recovery from the inhuman treatment, sequel to their attack, the victims, Deputy Chief Ayeritei Kypus Keriama and Elder Inifurobitere Kypus  his father, said they would have been killed if not of God’s intervention and they thanked God for salvaging them from the nefarious activities of the criminals. 

Elder Inifurobitere Kypus

 Though; the motive behind their attack was not yet ascertain, but sources alleged that it was a ploy to extinct them, and other prominent personalities in Kypus family.

Lamenting over the untold hardship posed to them sequel to the attack, while expressing his encounter with the gunmen, Chief Ayeritei Kypus said , on January 19, 2021 on Tuesday, the said gunmen invaded Obiata community, threatening and harassing most of the residents in the community in midnight.

The situation, he said had made them to desert the community to Idema in Ogbia local government area for safety.

According to him, on January 24, 2021 while they were at Idema, a renowned  personality at Obiata, called them on phone and persuaded  them to return  back home  not  knowing that the call was a plan, and a perceived conspiracy to viciously attack on them and subject them to further inhuman treatment.

In his word “On the 19^th of January, 2021, I saw people moving helter and shelter at Obiata. There was pandemonium in the community and we don’t know the reason for it.  We don’t know what was happening and from there we gathered our family and resolve to go to Idema in Ogbia LGA for safety.

On the following day, that was Wednesday; a prominent citizen in the community called me and asked us to return to Obiata.

We asked what had happened. We don’t know what happened and we ran to Idema for safety and you are calling us to come back to Obiata community.

If that be the case, you should go there and tell us the situation on ground before we will come back.

So, on Sunday, he called us that we should come back to the community. Hence, we gathered ourselves and we went back to Obiata, our community. But, to our surprise, as soon as we reach there not even more than 10 minutes, these gunmen came and surrendered us for no reason with gun point.

As they surrendered us they started beating me seriously. As they were beating me, they are also destroying my house. They are many and all with gun each.

They were using machete to beat me anyhow. I asked what happen. They replied me shut up and continue beating me. And from there despite their gun point as I was lay on the floor, God took me away from their hands. I suddenly rise up and ran into the bush despite their sporadic shooting on me.  God has secured me and I slept in the bush till the following day and I ran to Nembe. That is where we are living with hardship, suffering as our means of livelihood at Obiata community; we have no access to it. Even now the palm fruits that I felt as a palm cutter are in the forest rotten”, he stated.

He stated emphatically that he is a Christian and law abiding citizen and his main occupation is fishing and farming.

The Deputy Chief said, he had reported the matter to the police Headquarters in Nembe for necessary investigation and action to enable them go back to Obiata where they were living since their birth till date.

He further appeal to the Bayelsa state government and security agencies to come to their aid, and curb the insecurity situation in the area to restore peace and stability, emphasizing that the gunmen who attack them and the community should be apprehend and brought to book to serve as deterrent to others in order to allow peace to rein at Obiata.

According to him, the life of their entire family members are in danger; as he stated that during their attack, the leader disclosed that they would eliminate all the members of Kypus family including him and brothers.

Also, expressing his ordeal with the gunmen who attacked them at Obiata, Elder Inifurobitere Kypus, the father of the Deputy Chief, thanked God that he and his son are alive today by God’s intervention, considering the conspiracy, armed robbery and planed attack to eliminate him and his children in cool blood.

According to him, he woke from sleep to witness the pandemonium in the community and they gathered themselves, and resolved to go to Idema in Ogbia LGA area for safety.

While at Idema, he said, a prominent indigene of the community called them on phone to return back that the matter has been settled.

He asked, what matter? Elder Kypus wondered what he mean by the matter has been settled, with who as they don’t know what has transpire to the pandemonium in the community; and the settlement between who and who?

According to him after three days in Idema, they were called to come back, lamenting that their coming back resulted to their attack; which they would have been killed if not of God who salvaged them from the immoral activities of these men of the underworld.

While held hostage by the gunmen, where he was guided by five, after God has taken his son away from their midst, the leader name with held, threaten to kill him, apart from damaging his building too.

“As I went to my son’s house on return from Idema, five among them pointed me with gun and asked me to sit down. I was talking within me that today I and my son will be killed.

 Isaid within me, this personality in our community name with held asked us to come saying that peace has returned to the community.

As we earlier planned if not of this call to return to the community, we will from Idema move to Nembe for safety. But, he said that we should come back to Obiata. Okayoo.

Indeed, I felt very bad as they are beating my son with machete, and looting his provision store and destroying his house while lying down on gun point.

When my son was inflicted with pains, he called me, papa. Then, they interrupted him. Shut up. And continue beating him.

And while I was praying within me to God to salvage me and my son from the hostage, God, suddenly came in and surprisingly, my son rise up and started running away.

The situation led them to sporadic shooting on him which I thought he was killed when they returned back to me while five of them guiding me on gun point.

“His statement led me to reason within myself that my son has been killed, and that was why he has come to tell me these things.

Thereafter, they abuse all my children and finally departed from me while sitting on the bare floor,” he stated.

Elder Kypus used the forum to fervently appeal to the federal and the Bayelsa state government as well as security agencies to come to their aid by investigating the circumstances that led to the exclusive attack of Kypus family at Obiata community with guns and bring the culprits to book to enhance justice.

He expressed the untold suffering facing them and stressed the need for quick intervention to enable them live a meaningful live devoid of oppression and victimization.