Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

Fear and confusion swept through Amarata, a bustling suburb community in Yenagoa the Bayelsa State capital yesterday following reports that a police officer was allegedly killed in the area, sparking a violent reprisal raid by security operatives.

Eyewitnesses said armed policemen stormed the Ompadec and Punch area of Amarata in the early hours of the morning, breaking into houses and shooting sporadically and spraying tear gas. 

Terrified residents, including women and children, reportedly fled their homes to escape the gunfire, leaving the neighbourhood deserted.

Mr. Priye Julius, a broadcaster with Radio Bayelsa, and Mr. Forsbray Inegha, a retired police officer, who confirmed the incident, said  their own homes were damaged during the raid. 

“They smashed our windows. Everybody is living in fear now because nobody knows what will happen next,” Julius said.

Some of the residents who spoke with our correspondent described the scene as horrifying and chaotic as children going to school were not spared by the rampaging policemen, stating that families had fled their houses to escape the gunfire. 

Our correspondent, who resides in one of the mini estates at Ompadec attacked by the police noted   two people identified as Osigwe Chibeueze Valentine and Micheal Edward, were forcefully taken away from the estate, adding that houses were broken into by the policemen, while  men and women were taken into custody by force.

He said: “These young men forcefully taken from my mini estate today at Ompadec Street. One is a businessman and his wife a banker with Access Bank, the boy works at the new Bayelsa park.

“A neighbour’s house window opposite my house was broken with gun butt, a POS stand was vandalised, many innocent people were arrested, houses destroyed, spread tear gas everywhere even school children were affected while residents run helter skelter for their safety.”

While residents continue to flee the scenes, community leaders who  have earlier refused to stop  the daylight robbery and cult killings in the area are now calling for restraint, urging both residents and security personnel to avoid further confrontation. They warned that any escalation could lead to widespread unrest in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The latest incident has, again, placed Amarata in the spotlight, raising urgent questions about security and governance in Yenagoa, the state capital 

Amarata has, over the years, earned a reputation as one of Yenagoa’s most volatile neighbourhoods after Swali, another suburb of the state capital, notorious for clashes between cult groups, rival gangs, and law enforcement officers. 

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