Hours after gunmen attacked the country home of former President Goodluck Jonathan in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the attack and demanded a swift, sweeping and thorough probe of the sad incident.
This was contained in a statement released on Tuesday by the Publicity Secretary of the ruling party, Lanre Issa-Onilu on Tuesday.
The ruling party condemned the attack in its entirety and appeal to security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and their sponsors.
“We extend condolences to the family of the soldier who reportedly died in the attack. The Party also wishes the other injured soldier a full and speedy recovery,” it said.
According to reports, the gunmen numbering twenty were repelled by military men stationed behind the house.
The gunmen came through the river on five speedboats and opened fire on the soldiers, a community source said.
It was further learnt that the gunmen launched the attack with a dynamite being thrown into Jonathan’s residence and it blew off the roof of a small cottage building inside the residence.
According to other sources, two soldiers stationed behind the house confronted the armed men and engaged them in a heavy gun shootout, “the gunmen were approaching the house when they were sighted by the soldiers.
“They opened fire on the soldiers and the soldiers repelled. It was a heavy shootout. The Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) positioned in from of the house, made a u-turn blaring siren to joined 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.
“They, escaped after sighting the APC moving to re-enforce 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 seen moving some bodies of their colleague into another boat”, they said.
Most of the indigenes of Otuoke community commended the soldiers for their gallantry at repelling such attack.
Jonathan later arrived at 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 damages.