He was later handed over to some policemen attached to a prominent politician in the area.
Operatives of the Koluama division of the Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested a man identified as Richard Okon over illegal possession of firearms in Koluama 2 of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the suspect was apprehended by some youths while he was on his way to a burial ceremony in the area with high profile personalities expected to attend.
He was later handed over to some policemen attached to a prominent politician in the area.
The suspect, in a confessional video made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, claimed to be working with one Timiebi Woinemi Amadein, who is a nephew of Senator Cleopas Moses, who represents Bayelsa Central Senatorial District of the state.
Amadein is also the Chief Security Officer to the senator and the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
Okon claimed that the gun in his possession belonged to Timiebi Woinnemi Amadein and that he was asked to bring it to the venue of the burial ceremony before he was apprehended by community boys.
He said he was accused of plotting to kill Chief Sele-epri Matthew, a prominent indigene of the area and Chairman of eight host communities affected by the exploration activities of Chevron Nigeria Limited in Southern Ijaw and Brass local government areas of Bayelsa State under the KEFFES Rural Development Foundation.
KEFFES is a foundation representing the eight Chevron Nigeria Limited host communities in Bayelsa, which comprises Koluama 1 & 2, Ezetu 1 & 2, Foropa, Fish Town, Ekeni and Sangana located along the Atlantic coastline within Bayelsa State.
“Some indigenes, particularly those involved in the recent crisis that rocked the fold of the KEFFES Foundation alleged that the arrest may have been another assassination attempt against Chief Sele-epri Matthew,” he said.
“They thought Sele-Epri would be at the burial ceremony.”
Matthew and Amadein were recently involved in a leadership tussle over the control of KEFFES Foundation which led to the suspension of Amadein and five others by the foundation’s management Board over alleged contempt of court and illegal constitution of the parallel management board.
Attempts to get the reaction of Chief Sele-epri Matthew over the development failed but one of his aides said though there is no official reaction from his boss, “the matter has been handed over to the police for proper investigation.”
Also contacted, the spokesman for the State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed seeing the purported confessional video but said he had yet to get official details on where and when the arrest was made and reported.