The police in Bayelsa State have raided the private residence of the Bayelsa State Government House Accountant, Richard Etonye, over missing money running into millions of dollars.
The police in the secret operation that lasted for about two hours on Tuesday at the house located along Brass Road, Yenagoa, were said to have ransacked the building in search of the money which some persons said was between $2million to $4.6million. It was gathered that Etonye and his family members were not in the house when the operation was carried out by the police.
But the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, condemned the invasion of Etonye’s house, describing it as “an act of irresponsibility.” Dickson said:
“These same APC leaders are the ones involved in the killings and ransacking of communities in Bayelsa State, yet they are yet to be apprehended. It is these same politicians that give the false tip-offs to security agencies for invasion of their opponents’ homes.
“Government therefore calls on the police and other security agencies to be wary of such false information. They are also advised to confirm such tip-offs from the local security in the state and involve them before taking action.
“Government, however, reiterates its commitment to continuously work with the security agencies to sustain the peace and security of the state.
“The federal government should compliment the effort of state government of securing the state rather than using the security agencies to undermine the modest stride of the state government.
“Similarly, government calls for the prosecution of those who give false tip-offs as well as the policemen used to carry out these unlawful operations.
“Government also calls on the public to disregard the antics and cheap propaganda of the APC for it is intended to distract the restoration government but government will remain focused.”
