SURE-P: Police stop Bayelsa youths from setting ablaze commercial bank

Armed policemen from the Bayelsa State Police Command yesterday prevented aggrieved Bayelsa youths from setting ablaze a commercial bank over the Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Prograame (SURE-P).
According to investigations, the youths went berserk when the management of the bank told them that the programme has been cancelled.
Checks indicated that the youths had besieged the bank on Thursday January 2 and informed the management that they have been directed to the bank to open accounts to benefit from SURE-P
The bank management immediately designed a form and directed the youths to open an account tagged Kia Kia Account with N1, 000 pending when it would confirm from its headquarters and the SURE-P office in Abuja.
However upon confirmation from its head office and the SURE-P office in Abuja that there was  no scheme for Niger Delta youths, the bank management broke the news to the youths.
Immediately there was pandemonium as the youths made moves to get petrol and set ablaze the bank, but the quick intervention of armed policemen deployed to the area saved the situation as they dispersed the youths.
The youths retreated and began to attack innocent people around Amarata windscreens of many vehicles were shattered and many people were injured in the stampede that followed as the police shot tear gas to  disperse them again.
A staff in the bank who declined to mention his name confirmed that the bank designed a form and asked the interested youths to open an account with N1, 000 with the bank pending the confirmation from the bank headquarters in Abuja and SURE-P headquarters.
He said it was when they told the youths that the bank was not handling any programme for SURE-P that triggered the violence.
The Police Public Relations Officer of Bayelsa police command, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, who confirmed the development stated preliminary investigation by the police showed that none of the youths had opened account in that bank as directed and the form issued by the bank was done for free.
“Yes, it is true that the bank has issued them forms and asked them to open account. When the bank management got confirmation on the status of the programme, they informed the youths that it was a rumor. But the youths started throwing stones and damaging vehicles. The police were called and men were deployed to stop the situation from degenerating into a major crisis. No causality was recorded.”