Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Nigerian VP's House Attacked: Post-Election Unrest
Share:
by Jordan Yerman | May 16, 2007 at 10:03 am
379 views | 7 Recommendations | 2 comments
Photos
The fallout from Nigeria's election continues, as unknown militants destroy the Vice-President-Elect's house along with a police station.
Militants have attacked the country residence of the Vice-President-elect Goodluck Jonathan, in the oil-rich Niger Delta in a dawn speedboat attack.Police says the house in Bayelsa State, where Mr Jonathan is currently governor, was partially destroyed.
The attackers also blew up a nearby police station. Two policemen died in the raid.
No group has claimed responsibility so far for the attack. Mr Jonathan was not in the house at the time, say sources.
"We know they are from one of the militant groups operating in the Niger Delta but we don't know from which group. We lost two officers in the attack," said Nigeria's national police spokesman Haz Iwendi.
Meanwhile, gunmen have taken a child from a house in an affluent part of Port Harcourt, the region's oil capital. Police say they are combing the area.
The men arrived at Mr Jonathan's house in Otueke village in the Ogbia area in the south of the state in two speedboats at about 0200 local time, Mr Iwendi said.
"The parents of the vice president-elect, who were in the house, were saved by our men and the house has been partially destroyed."
Mr Jonathan and President-elect Umaru Yar'Adua - both Nigeria's governing party candidates - won by a landslide in the 21 April elections.
The opposition has described the polls as "flawed", demanding a re-run.
The vote was also criticised by international observers.
There was a similar attack on Mr Jonathan's official residence by unidentified militants on the eve of last month's presidential election.
Police say they have not established any link between the two incidents.
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (2)
at 03:21 on May 17th, 2007
HeyJ, thanks for putting this up on the wall. I've sort some feelers on this and my investigation raises quite some questions. Take for example little me, I have three police details in my country home on a 12 hour shift 24/7. That's me, how much more the VP-elect who has had a kidnap attempt carried out on his person and a country home to which his aged parents are domiciled? Knowing the Nigerian politician, when he's in power, something is awfully off about that story. I mean, you need to see these guys on the move. In tow would be about a platoon of cops armed to the teeth and scrapping cars as they drive along blaring sirens-and better believe it, you had better get off the road when you see them coming. So how come Mr VP-elect had only one armed police detail at his village home at the time of the said incident; that simply can't happen.
Again, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has not claimed responsibility for the said attacks which caused the VP-elect's country home to cave in. Nor has anyone else for that matter. It would be sensless in the extreme to conduct that kind of attack and not flex one's muscles by claiming responsibility for it. period.
The whole story is quite some joke in closed circles. The story is that it was just some political gimmick to shore-up some sympathy for illegimate appointees... and believe me we know! Forget the police release, that too is some joke. It's great stuff you're doing Jordan, keeping all this visible and in public view. It hasn't stopped amazing me that people really don't understand the full import of my country deteriorating into chaos. The Niger Delta produces the kind of crude known as 'Bonny light'-sweet crude. This is the benchmark for crude oil and is not readily as available world-wide as it is in Nigeria. The impact of my nation's collapse would be far-reaching as pump prices may be driven up to as high as $5/6 per liter in most Western cities if major disruptions occur. And this is where the imposing of an illegitimate government on Nigerians may likely lead.
Great stuff, may your pen always flow with the ink of truth and wisdom.
at 06:15 on May 17th, 2007
jordan, I like this story. It's good stuff.