Thugs suspected to be supporters of the Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, on Monday broke up a protest by members of Bayelsa State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, who picketed the Government House in the state over unpaid five months pension arrears

Some of the protesting pensioners were manhandled and beaten by the thugs who tried to disperse the protest. One person was reportedly injured and is currently receiving treatment in an unnamed hospital.

But the pensioners who said that they were resolute in demanding for the arrears of their pension resisted the attempt to disperse the crowd made up of retired and old civil servants.

The pensioners chanted songs and displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Dickson, pay us our gratuities’’ and “Be good to pensioners among others’’.

The pension union’s caretaker committee chairman, Bodi Amarah said the protest was embarked upon because the state government owes the pensioners five months pension arrears.

“Our members came out this morning to protest, just to call government’s attention to our welfare, but some group of youth came from nowhere and started beating our members up,” he stated.

“We have not been paid our pension for five months now and some of us have not received their gratuity at all, the Bayelsa government should pay us our money. All our placards have been destroyed by the group, one of our members, who was beaten, is currently receiving treatment in the hospital,” he continued.

Amarah said that he pensioners had not come to fight but to demand their legitimate entitlements and vowed that the protesters would not leave the government House until the governor comes out to address them.

“We, the pensioners did not come out for war, we only came here to ask for what belongs to us, now, see what we are receiving as our pay. The Pension is our right and it not going to be negotiable, we will not leave here (government house entrance) until Governor, Seriake Dickson, comes out to address us,” he said.

He said that all previous attempts to see Dickson and discuss the matter with him had failed.

Governor Dickson recently announced that the state could no longer meet its salary payment obligations to civil servants.

Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, confirmed that the pensioners’ were being owed by the state government but denied the allegation that they were beaten up on Monday while protesting at the Government House.