MEMBERS of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) in Bayelsa State, on Thursday, took to the streets of Yenagoa, protesting what they described as bad governance and non-performance in the state.

The protest, which was supervised by a detachment of policemen, took a different turn as armed men disrupted the protest in an orgy of violence.

The attempt by the policemen to ensure that the protest was not hijacked failed, as miscreant and armed men unleashed violence during the exercise.

There was free for all, as the anti-government protesters clashed with their opponents, leaving the police helpless.

Among those who were wounded in the fracas were two police officers and an independent civil rights activist, including a member of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Mr Ebiseremor Gbassa.

Leader of the SNG, Mr Tony Ile, alleged that that hijack of the demonstration could be traced to youths sponsored by the state government, who had infiltrated the group in an attempt to disrupt the rally.

But the state government, in a reaction to the protest, said the media might have been fooled, again, by the antics of the SNG.

The state Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mr Nathan Egba, said the SNG aborted the protest when it saw that it had no popular support.

However, the state chapter of the Action Congress (AC), speaking through his acting chairman, Mr Miriki Ebikibina, has hailed the demonstration, saying it was timely.