|
|
Nigeria: Journalist, Policeman Killed in Bayelsa Boat Mishap
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
This Day (Lagos)
14 May 2008
Posted to the web 14 May 2008
Segun James
Yenagoa
The race toward the governorship re-run election in Bayelsa State started on a sad note on Monday, when a journalist and police orderly attached to the Commissioner for Lands and Housing , Mr Ayakeme Whisky, died when their boat capsized.
The two were on the commissioner's advance team, on their way to his country home in the deep riverine area, to sensitise the people on the election and why they must vote for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The dead, Preye Vellor, worked with Radio Bayelsa, while the policeman, simply identified as Monday, was a sergeant.
Two other policemen who were on the same boat escaped by swimming to the river bank, while an aide to the Commissioner clutched to some floating object on the river before he was rescued. The accident occurred a few metres away from Agalanbiri Waterside, in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state. Vellor, anchor of a popular local programme, "wake-up call." was the press officer attached to the office of the Commissioner.
The death of Vellor brings to five, the number of journalists lost to boat mishap in Bayelsa State. It would be recalled that during a similar PDP governorship campaign rally in the elections that brought in Chief D.S.P Alamieyeiseigha, four journalists died in a boat mishap.
State Police Command Spokesman, Ibokette Inobong, confirmed the incident, but said he had little detail. Commissioner for information, Pastor Ebiowei Sokare, said the state government received the news with shock, and that the State Acting Governor, Mr Werinipre Seibarogu and PDP flag-bearer, Chief Timipre Sylva have been informed.
|
The State Chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in a statement issued yesterday, also expressed shock at the rising cases of deaths of journalists during officials duties with state government functionaries. The statement, signed by NUJ State Secretary, Comrade Alarowei Ekiye, said "we wish to call on government functionaries travelling with journalists to make adequate arrangement for safety gadgets and we demand for compensation for the deceased's families."
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
