Armed men yesterday abducted the 78-year-old mother of the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Friday, Mrs. Betinah Okunwa Benson.
The gunmen,reportedly arrived the residence of the Speaker's mother in? Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state at about 12.30am.
According to a statement issued by the Media Aide to the Speaker,Mr.Preye Kiyaramor, the gunmen who came in two speed boats shot sporadically into the air to scare away people before going away with their victim,”The incident has been reported to the police. No contact has been made with the kidnappers at the time of sending this report.”
While supporters of the Assembly Speaker are pointing accusing fingers at the? Sacked Five Council Chairmen following the Speaker's claim last week of an alleged sponsored impeachment plot against him,Others claimed the crisis rocking the Speaker's community over his involvement in the tenure elongation of the Community Development Executives may have been responsible.
The Coordinator of the Media Centre of the Joint Military Task Force code named Operation Pulo Shield,Lt.Col. Onyeanka Nwachukwu said he was not aware of the incident. But the spokesperson of the Bayelsa Command of the Police,Mr.Fidelis Oduna,confirmed the incident,”Yes,the Mother of the Bayelsa Speaker has been kidnapped and we have dispatched our men into the area with a view of unravelling those behind the kidnap”.