The Bayelsa State Police Command has debunked rumours making the rounds that immediate-past President Goodluck Jonathan was attacked by hoodlums.
Rumours had circulated earlier in the day especially on social media that hoodlums trailed Dr Jonathan’s short motorcade from the Julius Berger Bridge in Yenagoa to his private residence in the state capital before they were overpowered by the ex-President security details and handed over to law enforcement agents.
But in a swift rebuttal, the Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, Butswat Asinim, denied that the former president was attacked, while describing the purveyors of the rumours as “mischievous”.
In a statement on Monday, Asinim said a group of hungry youths mistook the ex-President’s convoy for that of a gubernatorial candidate in the December 5 elections.
He said the youths trailed the convoy in hopes that the supposed gubernatorial candidate will dole out money to them, only for them to discover it was Dr. Jonathan’s convoy.
According to him, the youths immediately took to their heels on learning that it was the former president’s convoy they had been following all along. But they had gotten to his house before finding out.
It was at this point that they took to their heels and were pursued by the former president’s security details.
“There was no attack on the former President. The youths mistook his convoy for a governorship candidate engaging in campaigns.
“But when they discovered on getting to the entrance of his house in Yenagoa that it was that of the President, they ran away. Some of them were arrested. They did not haul stones at the President’s convoy. They did not attack the convoy and no weapon was found on them,” Asinim stated.