Edward Irigha-Brigidi was arrested by some policemen purportedly at Azikoro town, a suburb of Yenagoa, the state capital by some policemen identified as SWAT operatives from Abuja.
There is confusion in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital following the arrest of the Minority Leader of the State House of Assembly and member representing Nembe Constituency 2, Edward Irigha-Brigidi.
Edward Irigha-Brigidi was arrested by some policemen purportedly at Azikoro town, a suburb of Yenagoa, the state capital by some policemen identified as SWAT operatives from Abuja.
Irigha-Brigidi, a legislator elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was reported to have been arrested following a petition on alleged complicity in the crisis rocking the Nembe-Bassambiri Kingdom. He is currently being detained at the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.
A source told our correspondent that the arrest of Irigha-Brigidi may have been orchestrated by some powerful chieftains of the APC in the state following his alleged decision to stand with the aggrieved youths of Nembe-Bassambiri against some leaders of the party.
The lingering crisis in Nembe-Bassambiri, it was gathered, was responsible for the dismal performance and heavy loss of the party at the last State and National Assembly elections in Bayelsa East Senatorial District where a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva hails from.
Irigha-Brigidi, whose victory was assisted due to his position against alleged oppressive and violent tendencies of some party leaders in Nembe-Bassambiri, was also reported to have shunned the 59th birthday celebration of the party leader in Yenagoa on Friday.
Meanwhile, the state police command's top echelons have kept mum over the "forceful" arrest.
According to sources, the quick intervention of the state governor, Douye Diri stopped the SWAT team from moving the embattled lawmaker to Abuja.