Diri, Sylva trade words over killing of Bayelsa youth

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has described the response of the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the last election, Chief Timipre Sylva, over the death of a youth during the poll as ‘mindless’.

Newspot reported that Diri, at the burial of the deceased in Twon-Brass on Thursday, directed the state Attorney-General to commence legal action against Sylva and those who stormed the collation centre.

Diri alleged that the 31-year-old George Sibo was killed when Sylva led his party members and supporters to invade the collation centre and held INEC officials hostage.

Sylva, in a statement released through his Special Assistant, Media, Julius Bokoru, said the directive had shown the governor’s desperation to deploy diversionary tactics and distractions against his case at the Appeal Court.

“Sylva knows nothing of the murder of George Sibo, an illustrious and promising youth of the state, it is important to note that by the time the young man died, Sylva was well out of the Island,” the statement released by the APC candidate said.

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But Diri, in another response through his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, said, “We have read His Excellency Chief Timipre Sylva’s impassive reaction to His Excellency Governor Douye Diri’s directive to the state Attorney-General to commence legal action against him and others behind the killing of 31-year-old George Sibo on November 12, 2023 in Twon-Brass, headquarters of Brass Local Government Area of the state.

*As usual, his reaction was mindless and lacked any feeling of contrition. Such glaring disdain is consistent with those who place no value on human life. Only their selfish, self-serving interest matters to them.

“It is just as ridiculous that Chief Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11, 2023 governorship poll in the state, could turn around to deny and feign ignorance of the dastardly killing of a young man; an act he instigated by his own action.

“If the APC candidate, an interested party in the election, had not invaded the INEC collation centre in Twon-Brass and held hostage officials of the electoral umpire, would George Sibo have been attacked and killed by his supporters and party men?

“It would have been better for Chief Sylva to show remorse instead of this vile show of dancing on the grave of the slain Brass youth.

“It also amounts to sheer prevarication to claim Governor Diri was desperate in an election that was his to win; and which he won convincingly.

“Sylva’s feckless effort to stand truth on its head only reinforces the generally-held opinion that he lacks character and honour.”