Posted by By Samuel Oyadongha on
BARELY 48 hours after the building of the chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital was rocked by a blast believed to have been detonated by suspected political opponents, another building housing a non-governmental organization, Grassroots Development Foundation was yesterday morning rocked by another explosion leaving in its trail massive destruction.
YENAGOA - BARELY 48 hours after the building of the chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital was rocked by a blast believed to have been detonated by suspected political opponents, another building housing a non-governmental organization, Grassroots Development Foundation was yesterday morning rocked by another explosion leaving in its trail massive destruction.
The attack on the foundation, some metres away from the Mobile Police Base on the outskirts of Yenagoa is said to have been carried out at about 5.35 am, five minutes after the policemen drafted to guard the building were said to have closed.
Sources said the attack may have been politically motivated since the patron of the NGO, Grassroots Development Foundation, a body set up to cater for indigent Bayelsans, is Mr Timi Alaibe, the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDCC).
Although no life was lost in the explosion allegedly caused by dynamite detonated by unknown persons, the security man at the complex whose name was given as Abu Hassan was seriously injured and was being taken to the hospital when this reporter visited the scene.
The front view of the building housing the foundation was badly damaged with virtually all its glass windows and doors shattered and a portion of the roof blown off as well as office furniture while there was a deep crater on the spot where the explosive landed.
Conducting newsmen round the devastated building, the Administrative Secretary of the Foundation, Chief I.C Awululu, described the attack as a sad commentary stressing that the injured security man on noticing unusual movement outside the premises from his duty post went out to check only to observe that an object had been hurled into the complex.
He further explained that as the curious security man was about to ascertain what the object could be, a deafening explosion went off sending across powerful shock wave leading to the destruction of the building and also causing injuries to the man.
According to him, they had earlier received threat from unknown persons before the attack, which necessitated the beefing up of security around the premises by the police.
Condemning the attack, the state Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile said the action of the perpetrators was to scare away law abiding Bayelsans from going about their lawful business.
Said he, 'we want to condemn such acts of violence in its entirety. We do not subscribe to violence and we would never subscribe to it. we believe that politics should be played in a give and take manner. We believe it should be played in an atmosphere in which all participants are given enough space to take part in it.
Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officers confirmed the incident saying the police have dispatched a team to the area.