BY John Odhe, YENAGOA
The council of chiefs, local vigilante group and the entire Angiama community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have condemned the attempted vandalization of some protection joints in part of the Angiama-Oporoma Bridge.
The act was allegedly perpetrated by two sons of Angiama community namely, Mr. Tarila Daniel (26) and his brother, Mr. Perezidei Daniel (30) just as they have been reportedly perpetually banished from the community.
While Tarila has been arrested and handed over to the police, Perezidei is still at large.
The 630 meter bridge constructed by the governor Douye Diri’s administration was commissioned by Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on April 10th, 2026.
The community’s condemnation of the act was contained in a statement by the chairman of Southern Ijaw local government council, Mr. Target Isaiah Segibo through his Press Secretary, Mr. Ayebaitari Easterday concerning the incident.
The statement said the act by the Angiama community hoodlums came to the knowledge of the SILGA chairman as a rude shock given the importance of the bridge to the entire Southern Ijaw people.
“To put the records straight, the people of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area had clamoured to be linked by road over the past sixty years.
“We could not achieve this until the emergence of the Assured Prosperity administration headed by His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri who in his magnanimity approved the extension of the Yenagoa-Angiama road to link Oporoma, Otuan, Ondewari and other communities to benefit from the ongoing project.
“Already, Oporoma and Otuan are connected to the road with a six hundred and shirty meters bridge which has eased the difficulty earlier faced by travelers.
“As a people-centered government, we have always assured residents in the area of the provision of quality projects that will meet their yearnings as well as the protection of life and property.
“While we are committed to fulfill this bargain in our public service task, it is pertinent, and we have so demanded that beneficiaries of government assets and members of the public in the area should jealously protect these facilities including the Angiama-Oporoma bridge,” he said.
Segibo said the local government had engaged strategies to ensure the arrest and prosecution of the fleeing suspect and any other person discovered to be connected to the criminal act.
“He said “we wish to use this opportunity to commend the Angiama Community Council of Chiefs, the Vigilante group headed by Mr. Gilpin Alazi Collins, people of the community and the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Oporoma Division, Mr. Agbalaiko Godwin who ensured the timely arrest of one of the suspects,”
He called on people of the area with useful information that could lead to the arrest of Perezidei to contact the nearest police station.
He also warned those protecting Perezidei should in their own interest produce the suspect and hand him over to the nearest police without delay or risk being treated as accomplices to the crime.
