Thousands of persons in Bayelsa on Tuesday staged a demonstration in support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the arrest and prosecution of Mr George Turner.

Turner was a former Special Adviser to a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Turnah is facing trial before a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on a twelve count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, and abuse of office amongst others.

The rally took place in Yenagoa and simultaneously in seven other Local Government Areas of the state.

Turnah was arrested in Port Harcourt in March 2017 in connection with alleged possession of N 2 billion suspected to be funds siphoned from the NDDC while serving there between 2012 and 2015.

The EFCC through its Spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwajaren, had said preliminary investigations indicated that deposits made in Turner’s personal and company bank accounts in excess of N2 billion.

It was against this backdrop, some persons in Bayelsa embarked on the peaceful demonstration in solidarity with the anti graft agency.

The demonstrators under the aegis of Concerned Citizens of Bayelsa State carried placards bearing inscriptions such as ‘We thank the EFCC for exposing corrupt persons’, ‘Enemies of Niger Delta exposed’, ‘well done EFCC’, ‘George Turnah impoverished Bayelsa State’.

Leaders of the group, Chief Harrow Zuokomor and Abule Bethel while submitting their petition at the Bayelsa Police Command headquarters stated that corruption has continued to impoverish the ordinary people.

Addressing the demonstrators the Bayelsa Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Amba, promised to deliver their message to the appropriate authorities.

He said the matter was already in court and expressed the hope that justice would run its full course.

The demonstration in the Bayelsa capital began early in the morning from the Ekeki Park through the State House of Assembly all along the Melford Okilo Road to the headquarters of the State Police Command at Ovom.

Update news