Protesters in Bayelsa State swarmed major roads in Yenagoa to join the nationwide End Bad Governance protest against economic hardship.

An unconfirmed report has it that one person was killed when rival groups clash at Biogbolo axis of Yenagoa.
A source told our correspondent that the incident occurs when anti anti Pro protesters met amidst tension.

The aggrieved anti government protesters said they were out to demand action from the government to end the high cost of living and hunger.

The End Bad Governance protesters chanted solidarity songs and carried placards with various inscriptions such as ‘Kill Corruption before corruption kills us all’, ‘Restore fuel subsidy and reduce the price of petroleum products now’, ‘We are dying of hunger in our own country’, ‘We are suffering so much now’, ‘We can no longer feed our children’, ‘Give us affordable education and health care’ among others.

The protesters, mostly youths and women, marched through the Yenagoa-Mbiama Road and the Melford Okilo Road defying the morning showers to register their grievances.

Checks within Yenagoa and other towns in indicate that there was heavy deployment of police and other security agents at strategic locations.

Despite a directive by the Bayelsa State government to civil servants to go to work, only few staff were at their duty posts at the State and Federal Secretariat Complexes with most offices scanty.

At Biogbolo community in Yenagoa local government area of the state, crisis erupted as a group of community youths in opposition to the hunger protest attacked the protesters marching on the Mbiama/Yenagoa road with two police van attached to them.

It was learnt that most of the communities in the state capital were mobilized to resist any form of protest in their respective domains.

The fracas took a new dimension as a large number of protesters came out and began to march from Opolo axis of the Mbiama/Yenagoa road towards Ebi Mechanic junction when they were stopped by a team of police officers monitoring the situation to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.

The protesters, however, insisted that the protest would continue while expressing their grievances about the economic situation of the country, hence it is their right to protest.

The heated argument generated to a serious crisis when the youths from the community unexpectedly attacked the protesters from behind with bottles, big planks and other weapons. Gun shots was also heard as all the protesters ran in different direction for their safety.

In a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Musa Mohammed, the Commissioner of Police, CP Alonyenu Francis Idu, the command acknowledges the proposed nationwide protest and respects the right of citizens to assemble and express their views peacefully, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He tasked Area Commanders, DPOs, Tactical Units, and the drone unit with providing robust security coverage during and after the protest.

The CP urges all organizers and protesters to conduct the protest responsibly and peacefully, and not to engage in acts of violence, looting, or any other criminal activities. “Anyone caught will face the full wrath of the law”.

Meanwhile other sides of Yenagoa was peaceful as a check round the other parts of metropolis, indicated that people were moving about their normal business except that most of the shops in Yenagoa are closed while all the banks in Yenagoa are closed and a few were doing skeletal services.

The customers are allowed int the premises after screening them.

Also at the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, am armoured vehicle was stationed in front of the building with security personnel guiding the premises.

The same, was applicable to Central Bank of Nigeria premises and other Government infrastructures in the state capital.

At the NNPCL Mega Filling Station, vehicles were seen queueing to get fuel while the whole area was very peaceful