EXCLUSIVE: Berry Negerese Reveals What He Has Done To Stop Amatu–Bilabiri Crisis As Allegations Swirl

By Passman Akpos

YENAGOA, BAYELSA STATE — An interaction between Tarakirivoice and Hon. Berry Negerese has provided a different perspective on recent allegations linking the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidate for Ekeremor Constituency 3 to alleged violence and an arms-fuelled plot involving Bilabiri community.

Following a one-on-one meeting that lasted approximately two hours, Tarakirivoice’s correspondent said the discussion, together with documents and explanations presented by Negerese, did not substantiate the allegations previously circulated against him.

Rather, the conversation portrayed Negerese as a politician who says he is interested in peace, stability and development across the communities of the Dodo River axis.

According to the correspondent, Negerese particularly rejected any suggestion that he could sponsor violence against his own people.

He reportedly told Tarakirivoice that he had no reason to participate directly or indirectly in any activity that could result in the death of another person.

«“My conscience will judge me forever if, through my involvement, directly or indirectly, the death of anybody happens. Talk less of carrying guns or arranging people to carry guns to kill my own people. That will be the last thing I will do,” he was quoted as saying.»

₦2 Million Peace Initiative

One of the major revelations from the meeting was Negerese’s claim that he had committed more than ₦2 million towards a peace initiative involving Amatu and Bilabiri.

According to the account presented to Tarakirivoice, the money was intended to facilitate the movement of a delegation to engage representatives of the two sides and encourage dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.

Rather than presenting himself as a beneficiary of the conflict, Negerese said his interest was in seeing the communities return to peace so that development could continue.

The initiative, if independently corroborated by the participating delegates and relevant community stakeholders, could represent an important attempt at grassroots conflict resolution at a time when tensions remain high.

“The House Of Assembly Is For The People”

Negerese also reportedly told Tarakirivoice that he is financially comfortable and therefore does not regard political office as a means of personal survival.

According to him, his interest in the House of Assembly is primarily connected to representing the interests of the people.

He was quoted as saying, in substance, that the legislature should not be viewed as a personal benefit but as an opportunity to serve constituents.

That position is particularly significant given the political tensions surrounding the 2027 Bayelsa State House of Assembly election.

Reports published earlier this year identified Negerese as the APC candidate who defeated incumbent Deputy Speaker Michael Peretukefie Ogbere in the party’s Ekeremor Constituency 3 primary.

Development, Not Conflict, At The Centre Of His Argument

Negerese further told Tarakirivoice that several projects connected to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and other development initiatives intended for Amatu, Bilabiri and neighbouring communities are currently affected by insecurity.

He attributed the difficulty in accessing the communities to the activities of a person known locally as “Small Fire.”

According to Negerese, contractors and suppliers have become reluctant to travel into the affected communities because of fears that their movements could expose them to armed confrontation.

He reportedly explained that even when assurances of security are offered, some contractors remain unwilling to take the risk because they do not want to become caught in a shootout.

The 2021 Bilabiri Violence

The name “Small Fire” also appears in an earlier Tarakirivoice report supplied for this investigation concerning violence in Bilabiri in April 2021.

That report, published at the time of the incident, stated that two ex-militant leaders, identified as General Frank Seide and General Small Fire, allegedly met in Bilabiri over the sharing of a pipeline surveillance contract before a gun battle broke out.

The report stated that Frank Seide and another person were feared dead.

However, because that 2021 report was based on eyewitness accounts and information available at the time, claims about individual responsibility for the death should not be treated as judicially established facts without further independent evidence.

What is important for the present story is that Negerese is pointing to the longstanding security challenges in the area as a factor affecting development, rather than accepting the allegation that he is responsible for creating them.

Chief Deme Kolomo: “Berry Is A Peace-Loving Man”

Chief Deme Kolomo, a prominent traditional leader from Egbemo-Angalabiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area who participated in the meeting, also offered a strong defence of Negerese.

Kolomo described him as a good and peace-loving individual who, in his view, has consistently placed the interests of the people around him above personal considerations.

According to the chief, it would be difficult to reconcile Negerese’s alleged personal circumstances and public record with claims that he would deliberately orchestrate violence against his own people.

He reportedly argued that Negerese is already comfortable in life and does not need elective office as a means of personal enrichment.

Instead, Kolomo said, his decision to contest is motivated by a desire to contribute to the development and political representation of his people.

A Record Of Community Development

Beyond the current political controversy, available public records provide evidence of Negerese’s involvement in community-development initiatives.

In 2018, as chairman of the Dodo River Communities Development Association (DRDA), Negerese participated in the handover of the 45-bed Amatu II Cottage Hospital to the Bayelsa State Government.

Contemporary reports stated that the facility included a laboratory, pharmacy, operating room, doctors’ and nurses’ accommodation, delivery and post-natal rooms, water facilities, a water ambulance, power infrastructure and a jetty.

The development record did not end with healthcare.

In 2020, the Dodo River Communities Development Association inaugurated projects valued at more than ₦141.65 million, funded by the NNPC/Chevron joint venture. The beneficiary communities included Amatu I, Amatu II, Bilabiri I, Bilabiri II and Bisangbene

The projects reportedly included a community secretariat, the construction and furnishing of Bilabiri I Primary School, water-treatment projects, concrete roads, speed boats and communication facilities.

These independently reported projects provide a concrete basis for examining Negerese’s public record through the lens of community development rather than only through the allegations currently circulating on social media.

Education And Youth Empowerment

Negerese has also been associated with educational and youth-development initiatives through the Negerese Educational Foundation.

While Tarakirivoice was unable to independently establish a comprehensive list of individual scholarship beneficiaries and the exact amounts personally contributed to their education, the foundation has been publicly presented as part of Negerese’s broader humanitarian and youth-development activities.

For responsible journalism, specific claims about individual beneficiaries should ideally be supported by scholarship records, payment evidence or testimony from beneficiaries.

A Different Picture Emerges

The latest interaction between Tarakirivoice and Negerese does not, by itself, resolve every allegation surrounding the security situation in Bilabiri.

It does, however, provide Negerese with an opportunity to directly respond to accusations that previously circulated without his side being adequately represented.

His position is unequivocal: he denies sponsoring violence, denies any intention to harm his people and says his priority is peace and development.

His claimed financial contribution towards a peace delegation, together with his explanation that insecurity is affecting access to development projects, deserves to be independently examined alongside the allegations made against him.

At the same time, the documented community-development initiatives associated with the Dodo River Communities Development Association—including the Amatu II Cottage Hospital and more than ₦141.65 million in community projects—offer tangible evidence that Negerese has previously been involved in development-oriented activities in the area.

Tarakirivoice’s Position

Tarakirivoice believes that allegations involving weapons, killings and political violence are too serious to be settled through social-media accusations or political propaganda.

They should be subjected to evidence, investigation and due process.

Our recent engagement with Berry Negerese has therefore added an important dimension to the story: the man at the centre of the allegations strongly rejects them and presents himself as a stakeholder seeking peace between communities whose continued instability threatens development.

The most constructive path forward is not further escalation, but an independent investigation into every credible allegation, dialogue between the affected communities and the restoration of an environment where contractors, investors, government agencies and residents can safely return to development activities.

For Bilabiri, Amatu and neighbouring communities, the ultimate victory should not belong to any politician or faction.

It should belong to peace, development and the people.