PRESS STATEMENT 20th April, 2020

 
RURAL PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY CONDEMNS THE WANTON AND ILLEGAL ACT OF DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY AND MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD OF TRADERS IN SWALI MARKET BY THE BAYELSA STATE GOVERNMENT WITHOUT AN ORDER OF COURT.

At a time when governments around the world are trying very hard to provide succour to residents of the various communities under their jurisdictions, who have been forced to seek solace in an emergency quarantine declared nationwide, owing to the devastating effects of the COVID -19 pandemic, which is causing massive food shortage and limited productivity, it is quiet disheartening to observe that the government of Bayelsa State led by his Excellency Douye Diri have decided to visit it's poor population with atrocious destruction of their property and means of livelihood in the guise of enforcing physical planning regulations in the state.
More pathetic is the fact that the government has decided to carry out this dastardly act without recourse to existing laws in the state prescribing the procedure to enforce evictions for both legal and illegal occupants of any house, place or location within the state. This callous act of destroying food items and valuable goods belonging to poor traders without exhausting the laid down procedure portrays the government and its institutions as an insensitive manager of the predicament of the people under their watch. Governance is expected to be an act of representing the interest of the people and protecting same at any cost, including the cost of acting within the bounds of the law. 
The law as a tool of social engineering is the basic background expected to guide every act or omission to achieve a just society. Where the observance of the law becomes discretionary, and application of the law is selective, injustice will become the order of the day. Whether warnings were sent or executive orders were issued prior to the planned demolition of the market, it is insufficient because government did not bother to proceed as required by the law, which is by way of obtaining a valid court order and enforcing same to the latter. 
A landlord in Bayelsa State is expected to issue two separate notices to his/her tenants, whether legal or illegal tenants. After the two notices (Notice to quit and Notice of owners intention to recover his property), the landlord is also expected to present his case to the court, in order to obtain a lawful Court Order before he can evict his tenant(s). Even after obtaining the lawful Court Order, the landlord is expected to follow the due process of the law in enforcing the order against the tenant. Under no circumstance is the landlord expected to throw-out the properties of the tenant in the street or destroy them arbitrarily. 
Contrary to this laid down procedure, the Bayelsa State government have proceeded to violate the right of the poor and vulnerable because they cannot defend themselves. This is sad and insensitive, and the persons who authorised and carried out this illegality should be made to face the full wrath of the law as a measure to prevent future re-occurrence. The leadership of Rural People's Assembly wholeheartedly condemn this violation of the laws of Bayelsa State in it's totality and advise the relevant law enforcement authorities and stakeholders to be alive to their responsibilities and ensure that the law and poor people are protected at all times. 
We are therefore using this medium to call on the authorities behind the demolition to stop forthwith and take necessary steps to apologise and compensate the loss already ocassioned by this unlawful demolition exercise. Take Notice that where the advice herein is not taken into consideration and the illegal demolition continues unabated, this organization shall be constrained to seek redress in a court of competent jurisdiction against the government of Bayelsa State accordingly.
Signed: 
Aniso O. Abraham
(Publicity Secretary)

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