The Bayelsa State Government on Tuesday called for calm following the murder of a final-year student of the state-owned Niger Delta University, Francis Paleowei in Amassoma, the institution’s host community.

Paleowei, a 400-level student of Sociology, from the Obrigbene community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state, was murdered on Tuesday by a group of persons over a dispute on the payment of N150 to take a photograph at a sand dump in the community.

The Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, on Thursday, met with leaders of both communities over the murder and appealed to the deceased’s family and the entire people of Obirigbene community to remain calm.

A statement on Friday by Doubara Atasi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, quoted Ewhrudjakpo as saying that the state government was working closely with security agencies to get the culprits arrested and prosecuted in a competent court of law.

Ewhrudjakpo assured both delegations that every necessary step would be taken to bring the perpetrators to face the full consequences of the crime and called on the Amassoma community to collaborate with security personnel to ensure the murder suspects are apprehended.

The deputy governor equally insisted that the student community of the institution must not take laws into their hands by avenging the death of their fellow student as the prime suspect had already been arrested by the police through the effort of the Amassoma community.

He said, “We express our condolences to the bereaved family of the Obirigbene community over the killing of their son in Amassoma. We are pleading with the family and Obirigbene community to remain calm as the government is on top of the situation through the security agencies. Already, the prime suspect has been arrested and is already in police custody.

“We want to once again call on our community leaders to be more alive to their responsibilities in their respective communities to nip negative actions in the bud in our society.

“Our message to the student community at the NDU, much like that to the people of Obirigbene, is for them to remain calm and law-abiding, and they should not contemplate revenge.”

Speaking on behalf of the bereaved family, Odudu Awipi and Cletus Paleowei insisted that the killers of the deceased should be brought to book.

Paleowei was murdered on Tuesday by a group of persons over a dispute on the payment of N150 to take a photograph at a sand dump in the community.

PUNCH