In the midst of tension and insecurity in the country, Bayelsa remains relatively peaceful, as a matter of fact it is one of the safest states in the country.
In spite of its safety profile however, there are still pockets of criminal activities like cultism, scavengers pilfering items carelessly left outside and "bad boys" dispossessing people of their phones and other belongings, especially at night. This is mostly done in conivance with "Keke" riders.
It is with a view to checking this unwholesome act that the Bayelsa State Government directed that no "Keke" rider should operate beyond 7.00 p.m. This has worked to a very large extent as the incidence of dispossessing people of their phones has drastically reduced.
In its avowed commitment to rid the state of all criminal elements, the government has re-jigged the security architecture in the state. The present administration under Senator Douye Diri has remodelled "Operation Doo Akpo", the security outfit set up by the state government to work with the regular police.
Also, the government has brought together Bayelsa Volunteers and Bayelsa Vigilante as one outfit, the State Community Safety Corps, for better coordination and more efficient service delivery. Brig. Gen. Eric Angaye (Rtd) is the Coordinator of the state community safety corps.
The community safety corpers are not licensed to carry arms and equally they cannot prosecute offenders so they work in synergy with the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, and hand over offenders that they apprehend, to the police.
In addition, the state government offers the various security agencies in the state logistic support in the form of operational vehicles equipped with state-of-the-art communication gadgets.
Government has also installed closed-circuit surveillance cameras in strategic parts of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital. From the office of the Commissioner of Police in the state and state Security and Command Centre in Government House, everything happening along the streets of Yenagoa can be monitored.
The installation of the closed circuit surveillance cameras has been yielding positive results. Because of the success story of the already installed cameras, government is about to install additional 200 CCTV cameras to broaden the surveillance area and make the state safe for Bayelsans and residents alike.
The installation of the additional 200 CCTV cameras is in furtherance of the administration's Safe City Programme. The project also includes the revamping of 50 other CCTV cameras.
Governor Diri disclosed this during a three-day conference organized by the Security Watch Africa Initiative. The conference was held in Doha, Qatar. The governor, who was on his annual leave at the time of the conference, was represented at the occasion by the state Security Coordinator and Coordinator of the Bayelsa Community Safety Corps, Brig-Gen. Eric Angaye (rtd).
The governor, who noted that implementing digital solutions to crime prevention enhances governance, public services, and economic opportunities, said: “the use of technology as a critical enabler for security and law enforcement operations has received priority attention through the phased implementation of a Safe City Programme, which incorporates revamping a legacy 50 camera system and addition of 200 cameras to enhance surveillance and domain awareness.”
The governor further stated that “In line with our commitment to making Bayelsa State inhospitable to criminal elements, we remodeled, upscaled, and relaunched the special joint security task force known as Operation Doo-Akpo, and subsequently signed the Bayelsa State Community Safety Corps Bill into law on December 14, 2021.
“This law streamlined the operations of the Operation Doo-Akpo along with the special outfits -- Bayelsa Volunteers and Bayelsa Vigilante -- under one umbrella. The Community Safety Corps was designed to support and collaborate with the statutory security agencies in the effort to rid the state of criminal elements.”
With the government's modest efforts at enthroning security, peace and order, it was not surprising that Senator Diri was honoured as the Best Security-Conscious Governor at the Qatar security conference, alongside his colleagues from Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Katsina, Mallam Dikko Radda.
When the 200 CCTV cameras lare installed, in addition to the 50 that would be revamped, they will certainly boost security and crime prevention in the state capital.
According Diseye Johnny, a business man who resides in Yenagoa, "when the closed circuit cameras are installed, the state, or at least the capital, Yenagoa, will be safe and secure for people to go about their businesses, make money and become prosperous".
