Bayelsa: Mangrove Boys deny govt backing

…Insist on October 14 protest

AN emerging pressure group in Bayelsa State, the Mangrove Boys of Bay­elsa, has debunked claims that its planned 10,000- man protest against the candidacy of former gover­nor and governorship can­didate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva, was being sponsored by the State government.

Rather, it described that the protest, scheduled to hold in Yenagoa, the State capital, on October 14, as a non-partisan and non-violent civic action to drive home its conviction that the second coming of Sylva would spell doom for the people of the State.

Sylva’scampaign organi­zation had, in a statement at the weekend, said the group’s impending protest was being sponsored by the Bayelsa State government and a manifestation of fear over the emergence of Syl­va by the government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But in astatement by its spokesman, Bernnard Le­gite, yesterday, the Man­grove Boys of Bayelsa insisted that the proposed march was a responsible step driven by the need to call the attention of the public to, “the atrocities and evil” allegedly perpe­trated by Sylva during his five years reign as governor of the State.

While re-affirming its belief in public protest as a civilized conduct in a de­mocracy, the group said the demonstration would be peaceful and non-violent.

It reiterated its focus on public sensitization to pre­vent recurrence of what it described as, “the return to our dark days of the reck­less and evil actions of the ‘Famutangbe”. Established during Sylva’s administra­tion, ‘Famutangbe’ was a security outfit, which alleg­edly caused untold human rights violations that led to widespread violence, cult­ism and mass murder.

The group stated: ”We can assure the general pub­lic that this is a peaceful protest. Some of our moth­ers, whose husbands and children were gruesomely murdered have indicated interest to join us in the protest. We have since writ­ten to thePolice to grant us permit for the protest. Cer­tainly, we are pursuing a noble cause, when we recollect the fact that Bay­elsa under Sylva as gov­ernor, was a land wrecked by violence, kidnappings and cultism. Most of us embarking on this protest lost loved ones through Sylva’s State-sponsored terrorism directed at inno­cent citizens and mostly at political opponents. Many Bayalsans fled into exile in neighbouring States and far-flung places, No doubt, Sylva’s past is now haunt­ing him.”

It stated that the protest has become a coalition as other groups with similar interest would be partici­pating, adding that the con­cern of all members was the quest for the APC to change Timipre Sylva as its candidate for the De­cember 5 election or face a backlash of massive vot­ing against the party in the election.