A yet-to-be named naval rating has reportedly been
attacked and killed by rampaging youths in Brass Island, Brass Local Government
Area in Bayelsa State while on election duty in the state.
It was learnt that the naval officer attached to
NNS FORMOSO was escorting electoral materials from Egwuama to Brass when he and
his colleagues came under attack from some thugs loyal to a politician in the
area.
Naval authorities in the state did not immediately
react to the incident, however, during the shootout, the military officer was
said to have died instantly.
Condemning the murder, the state chapter of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the death of the naval personnel followed
in the same line of violence against the security agencies in the area by opposition
party.
The state Secretary of the PDP, Chief Godspower
Keku, said in a statement on Sunday that the situation was unfortunate, noting
that the navy in the state had exhibited a high level of professionalism in the
election so far.
He maintained that the navy may have come under the
unprovoked attack for resisting attempts by the opposition thugs to hijack the
materials in the area to non-designated location for thumb-printing in Brass.
The PDP said it was worried that a group of
desperate politicians had been allowed to take the laws of the land into their
hands and emboldened to commit acts of criminality for the purpose of
undeserved electoral victory.
He called on the authorities of the Nigerian Navy
to go after the hoodlums and their leaders behind the unfortunate death of the naval
rating with a view to bringing them to book.
The party recalled that a Deputy Commissioner of
Police in charge of Federal SARS, Kola Okunola, was abducted and stripped by
the same set of people during the presidential and National Assembly polls.
He said it was cheering to note that a state lawmaker
who allegedly led the widely condemned assault on the DCP was arrested and
would soon face prosecution alongside his cohorts.
Keku called on the Commander of NNS FORMOSO to take
a cue from the leadership of the police by going public with the murder of the
innocent security operative in the line of duty.
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