Odi community in Bayelsa State has been thrown into confusion following the abduction of Compensation Funds Disbursement Committee Chairman, Prof. Zibokere Daukiye, by unidentified gunmen.
The riverine community has been engulfed in crisis since 1999 when federal troops under President Olusegun Obasanjo bombarded it to avenge the gruesome murder of security operatives by youths during the militancy era.
The community was awarded N 37.6 billion by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State but was later paid N15bn by the government after negotiation.
The N15bn compensation paid the community by the government after series of legal actions has also unsettled the people in the area following alleged diversion of a chunk of the money.
It was gathered that Daukiye, amidst controversies, was appointed by stakeholders in the community to manage disbursement of the compensation funds which had torn the people apart.
The unknown gunmen were said to have stormed the community on Friday.
It was gathered that they arrived the area on a speedboat through the community’s river.
The gunmen were said to have caused panic in the community by firing staccato of gunshots into the air to scare residents.
Residents were said to have fled to many direction for safety as the gunmen invaded the residence of Daukiye.
A source who spoke in confidence said: “They seized him and bundled him to the riverbank. They shot their way out of the community and disappeared in the creeks. It was a scary sight”.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident in Yenagoa.
He said: “A manhunt has been launched by a combined team of Marine Police, anti-kidnapping unit and JTF to rescue the victim and arrest the abductors”.
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