The Bayelsa State Government has urged calm after the tragic murder of Francis Paleowei, a final-year student at the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU) in Amassoma, the institution’s host community. Paleowei, a 400-level Sociology student from Obrigbene in Ekeremor Local Government Area, was killed on Tuesday over a dispute involving a N150 payment for a photograph at a sand dump in the community.

Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo met with leaders from both the Obrigbene and Amassoma communities on Thursday to address the situation. Ewhrudjakpo appealed to the deceased’s family and the entire Obrigbene community to remain calm.

In a statement on Friday, Doubara Atasi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, emphasized that the state government is working closely with security agencies to ensure the culprits are arrested and prosecuted.

“We express our condolences to the bereaved family of the Obrigbene community over the killing of their son in Amassoma. We are pleading with the family and Obrigbene 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 in police custody,” Ewhrudjakpo said.

He also called on the Amassoma community to cooperate with security personnel to ensure the arrest of all suspects involved in the murder. Ewhrudjakpo urged the NDU student community not to seek revenge, stressing that the prime suspect had already been detained due to efforts by the Amassoma community.

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

Representatives of the bereaved family, Odudu Awipi and Cletus Paleowei, insisted that the killers must be brought to justice.

The state government reiterated its commitment to maintaining peace and ensuring that justice is served, calling on community leaders to be vigilant and proactive in preventing such incidents in the future.