The political situation in Bayelsa state has taken a
bizarre turn as gunmen on Saturday night
invaded the Yenagoa home of the Senior Special
Assistant to the President on Domestic Matters,
Dr. Waripamowei Dudafa and carted away an
undisclosed amount of money after destroying
the safe kept in one of his rooms.
Family sources said that the gunmen were asking
after him and ransacking the entire building
looking for him.
The source said that gunmen who invaded the
home were not looking like hoodlums. The 10
man gang were allegedly dressed in mobile police
uniform when they came calling.
They were said to have stormed the residence in
Okaka Estate, Yenagoa at about 8pm when the
three mobile policemen guarding the residence of
the Presidential aide were not around.
The gunmen were said to have gained entry into
the premises of Dudafah after allegedly telling the
security men (civilians) that they were policemen
on operations from the police headquarters.
When they got into the premises, they were said
to have bound the Chief gateman, one
Muhammed Garba, tying his legs, his hands and
covering his eyes and mouth.
An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, alleged
the attack on Dudafah's home was politically
motivated.
He said the incident took place few minutes after
results of some rescheduled House of Assembly
polls were released and Dudafa backed candidate
on the platform of the All Progressives Grand
Alliance defeated his Peoples Democratic Party
opponent in Kolokuma-Opokuma Constituency.
Narrating his ordeal, Garba, who said he had
been working with Dudafa for eight years, said
the suspects came in two black Sport Utility
Vehicles.
"They ordered me to open the gate. I opened a
small gate and saw about 10 of them. They
pushed me and they gained entry into the
premises. They spanked my head. They tied my
hands, mylegs, covered my mouth and eyes
with celotape. They went for my room at the
security gate and asked me to show them the
apartments of police security in the building. They
also asked for Dudafa (Oga) house keys. I told
them I did not know where they were since I
was not the person keeping them. They said they
would kill me if they eventually found the keys in
my place. I kept quiet. After ransacking my
room, they saw the keys. They started using
them to open the main building.
"The man leading the operations, asked his
colleagues to talk gently so that when my
colleague who had gone to buy noodles at that
time would not suspect something was amiss.
No sooner had they said that than my colleague
came in, and they caught him. They now
abandoned me bound, and took my second to
be directing them. It was my second that was
now showing them way. They also went to boys
quarters and also seized Dudafah cousin living
there. They also tied him. They were threatening
them that if they did not cooperate with them,
they would waste them."
Garba said when they had held all of them
captive, they went inside the building and started
ransacking everywhere.
He said they came also with axes and saws
which they were using to cut something inside
the apartments.
The 55 year old Garba, a father of one, said the
operations lasted about three hours before they
left.
Dudafah's cousin, Pere Ozoru, said he was
sleeping his room when the gunmen came.
He said it was the second gate man, Ibrahim, that
brought them to his apartment.
When newsmen visited the residence on Sunday,
it was discovered that most apartments in the
gigantic edifice were ransacked and furniture
were destroyed.
In one of the rooms, a safe was destroyed and it
could not be ascertained how much could have
been carted away from the safe.
Efforts to get the police reaction were
unsuccessful as calls to the spokesman for the
Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat,
rang out several times.