The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa has alleged that thugs led by an oil surveillance contractor, Kodjo Sam, allegedly operating at the behest of former Governor Timipre Sykva, have sacked the mobile policemen and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Bassambiri, Nembe Local Government Area of the state.

The State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Moses Cleopas, said in a late night statement on Sunday that the thugs aided by soldiers had dug trenches and mounted barricades in Nembe Bassambiri to harass innocent people.

Cleopas said that it was rather frightening that the thugs working for a Bassambiri-born APC Chieftain, Sylva, could be allowed to sack members of the community who are not supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He stated further that the thugs were mounting illegal road blocks with a view to scaring away supporters of the PDP with a view to hijacking electoral materials for thumb printing as was the case in the area during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Cleopas said that the current siege on Bassambiri had created a sad situation where thousands of innocent residents have become internally displaced persons seeking refuge in Yenagoa and the nearby Ogbolomabiri.

The Bayelsa PDP Chairman said that the former Governor had turned Bassambiri to be the headquarters of his illegal militia for the purpose of rigging elections.

He said: “An Oil Surveillance Contractor, Kodjo and his thugs acting at the behest of Chief Timipre Sylva have sacked the mobile policemen and the civil Defence men that were sent in to maintain order in Bassambiri,

“These people have dug a military type of trench and are mounting illegal road blocks with barricades and stopping the police and the civil Defence operatives sent to maintain order in the community.

“They have been shooting all these days scaring and driving every person who is not their supporter away from the community. So, thousands of people are IDPs now in Yenagoa and Ogbolomabiri.

“Their aim is to keep every person who is not supporting APC out of the community so that they can have an opportunity to produce fake results; so that they can write figures as they did, and sadly, you have the military working with them.

“The mobile policemen and the Civil Defence officers have been driven away at the behest of Sylva.”