Bayelsa State’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Saturday, blamed Timipre Sylva, a former Governor of the state and the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), for the increase of crime in the state.

This was contained in a statement signed by the state chairman of the PDP, Moses Cleopas.

The statement also rubbished the claims by the APC that the state governor, Seriake Dickson, was behind the new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

The statement reads: “Chief Timipre Sylva should go and ask God for forgiveness. The Bayelsa APC has a history of violence. As factional leader of APC, his group perpetrated sundry extra-judicial killings using the instrument of state power. His defunct administration was a short-hand for death. Bayelsans are still trying to heal the wounds inflicted by Sylva’s killer outfit code-named Operation Famou Tangbei. We urge them to ask for mercy from God for all the atrocities they have perpetrated against the same people they wanted to govern.

“Since Sylva lost out in the governorship elections, even amidst the use of maximum violence, crimes such as sea piracy, vandalization of oil facilities, kidnapping and killing have become rampant.

“The PDP-led government in the state has responded appropriately by intensifying its security apparatus such that even at the village level, clan heads and paramount rulers have been required to set up vigilante groups to fight the orgy of violence perpetrated by the malcontented APC thugs who are working hard to diminish the achievements of government.”