By Ovie Okpare & Sampson Boroh
Arms-wielding gunmen in the early hours of Tuesday attacked the home of former President Goodluck Jonathan in Otuoke community, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa killing at least a soldier attached to the residence.
It was learnt that the gunmen numbering over twenty were alleged to have detonated dynamite in their bid to break into the home of the former President who was said to relocated to his Yenagoa home on Monday to celebrate the Yuletide.
Sources in the community told NIGER DELTA TODAY that the incident took place at about 2am few hours after the Jonathan and his family moved to the Bayelsa State capital.
Although the reason for the attack was not at the time of filing this report, sources claimed it could have been attempt by the hoodlums to assassinate the former President who had since moved to his country home after handing over to President Muhammadu Buhari.
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One of the soldiers who gallantly repelled the attack was reportedly killed in the process while another soldier was said to have sustained gun injuries during the incident.
Our correspondents gathered that in avowed determination of the gunmen to break into the main residence, they threw one of their dynamites into residence blowing up the roof of the cottage building inside the compound.
“The gunmen calculated wrong when they went for the military gunboat but the gun was not mounted. The soldiers however sighted them.
“The gunmen opened fire on the soldiers and the soldiers replied. It was a heavy shootout. The Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) positioned in from of the house made a u-turn blaring siren to join his men behind the house.
“The soldiers, while engaging the gunmen at the back of the house, were not aware some gunmen were coming into the house on land. Those gunmen on foot shot dead a soldier and shot another in the leg.
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“The gunmen, escaped after sighting the APC moving to reinforce the soldiers. The gunmen abandoned a boat filled with blood. We asked an eyewitness at the jetty and we were told that the gunmen were moving some bodies of their colleague into another boat”, one of the sources at the community said.
Most of the indigenes of the Otuoke Community commended the soldiers for their gallantry at repelling such attack.
It was further learnt that former President Jonathan arrived the scene at about 3.30am in company of the Commander of the 3rd Brigade, Elele and the Bayelsa Commissioner of Police to inspect the level of damage.
When contacted on Tuesday, Bayelsa Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Asinim Butswat, declined comment on the incident and directed one of correspondents to military for official response.
