Looting Continues In Bayelsa Govt House

A few weeks to the handover of power to a new government in Bayelsa State, some items belonging to the state are being looted by unknown persons.
This is aside from the N800,000,000 that was reported to have been stolen from a safe in the office of the deputy chief of staff, Government House, Mrs Ndiomu Ebizi-Brown, although the police says only N3.5million was stolen.

Already, no fewer than seven policemen have been arrested over their alleged involvement in the theft of the money. The alleged theft, was discovered on Thursday morning and the safe where the cash was kept reportedly vandalised.
Sources close to the office of the deputy chief of staff confirmed that the office where the money was kept, which had two entrances, was burgled.
It was gathered that the two entrances were guarded by policemen and many wondered how the burglars had access to the cash. It was gathered that the order for the arrest of the policemen on duty at the time of the theft, was order by the state commissioner of Police, Mr. Uche Anozia.
Detectives from the department of the State Criminal Investigative Department (SCID) of the state police command are said to be investigating the incident.
A Government House source told TNN that the theft was shocking to the deputy chief of staff and other officials of the state government.
Attempts to get confirmation from the officials of the state government proved abortive as they kept mute over the incident.
An official that spoke on the incident under anonymity, told our correspondent that “only the policemen have been arrested because they were on duty at the time of the theft.”
The deputy chief of staff, when contacted over the phone, declined to respond to text message.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the incidence, however, said only N3.5 million was stolen from the safe, adding that three policemen, four civil defence corps and a civilian guard who were on duty as at when the incident occurred, had been arrested for interrogations.
It was learnt that some persons who couldn’t get the cash are carting away electronics, furniture and other government property within and outside the state government house.
A Government House source told TNN that government officials were busy moving valuable items from Government House to their private homes following the loss of the PDP during the November 16 governorship election held in the state.
We gathered that some appointees of government have allegedly devised means of stocking hiding items in their cars with tinted windscreens to beat security checkpoints as they move them out of the Government House.
We also gathered that government property are being allegedly looted at different agencies and parastatals, including the Bayelsa State Aqua village located at Igbogene in Yenagoa where a sound-proof generating set was almost stolen but for the alarm raised by the neighbourhood.