Bayelsa drama thickens as court orders DSS to investigate Deputy Governor

Complicated. More complicated is the polirical situation in Bayelsa State following an order by an Abuja Area Court, on Wednesday that the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the allegation of forgery of a National Youth Service Corps certificate levelled against the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) had last week lost its gubernatorial seat at the Supreme Court, a day to the swearing-in of David Lyon and his deputy governor-elect, on account of the deputy forging his credentials.
Now, with the Area Court’s decision, Ewhrudjakpo the Peoples Democratic Party senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, will have to subject himself to security scrutiny.
According to media reports, an APC chief in Bayelsa State, Benjamin Youdiowei, had approached the Area Court in Lugbe, Abuja, alleging that Ewhrudjakpo presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission a forged NYSC Exemption Certificate with number 139708 and dated February 2, 1998.
He that Ewhrudjakpo had used the allegedly forged document as part of his credentials.
The judge presiding over the case, Abubakar Sadiq, had on November 27, 2019, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Ewhrudjakpo following his absence from the court for the day’s proceedings.
On Wednesday, Youdowei’s lawyer, Seidu Jibrin, noted that the Wuye Police Division, which was earlier asked by the court to carry out further investigation on the matter, had transferred the case to the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit.
Responding, the judge noted that the police ought to have reported back to the court if the Wuye Division was unable to handle the case before taking the unilateral decision of transferring the case to the IGP monitoring unit.
He terminated his earlier order directing the police to investigate the case and ordered the DSS to take it up.
“We hereby terminate the order of investigation given to the police in respect of this matter and order the DSS to investigate it,” he ruled.