A room in Dudafa’s house turned inside out...yesterday.
Eight gunmen, who allegedly dressed in police and military unicamouflage, at the weekend, burgled the home of the Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Matters, Mr. Waripamowei Dudafa, in Yenagoa.
The gunmen were said to have stormed the expansive compound, near the Okaka Estate in the Bayelsa State capital, at 7:30 pm, on Saturday.
They reportedly left at 12:15 am, after operating unhindered for five hours.
Some aides to Dudafa yesterday took reporters round the ransacked home.
The armed men, who reportedly, combed the politician’s cupboards and other vital areas in the building.
The three policemen guarding the building were said to be off duty when the hoodlums stormed the compound.
The gunmen, it was learnt, removed the mattresses and other beddings and rummaged through Dudafa’s study.
The hoodlums were said to have broken into the strong room, where they located a safe. They reportedly worked on the safe for hours, eventually breaking it with axes.
Although Dudafa’s aides feigned ignorance of the contents, it was gathered that the gunmen removed from the safe an unspecified amount of money.
One of the two night guards, who simply gave his name as Mohammed, said the hoodlums rode a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).
The security man said the other guard, who he identified simply as Ibrahim, was away to buy food when the gunmen came.
Mohammed said: “They kept banging on the gate and when I demanded to know them and their mission, they said they were policemen. I peeped and saw that some of them were dressed in police uniform. When I tried to open the small gate, they pushed the gate and pinned me to the wall.”
The security man said the hoodlums tied his hands and legs, taped his mouth and ordered him to lie with his face down on the floor.
He added: “They asked for the keys to the rooms but I refused to give them out. They threatened to kill me. Later, they searched my bag and found the keys. When my brother returned, they tied him and took him to the living room.”
Pere Okoru, a cousin to Dudafa, who lives in the house, said the gunmen operated with torches because there was no power supply.
He said: “I came back from watching the Chelsea/Manchester United game. I parked my car and went in to sleep. I soon slept off. But before I knew it, the security man started calling my name.
“He asked me to open the door. Immediately I opened the door, some guys just pushed it towards me and slammed my face with it. They slapped me twice and demanded to know the whereabouts of the policemen attached to the building.
“I told them they were not around; but they didn’t believe me. They threatened to shoot my leg and took me to the policemen’s door. They discovered that the policemen were not around. They took me to the security gate and tied me there.
“They were dressed in police camouflage. Four were watching over us while others were in the house. Three hours later, they started communicating with some persons. Somebody was asking them whether they had seen something, but they said no.
“They later called the driver of their vehicle, who came to pick them. I saw them dragging something out of the house.”
The incident occurred the day the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted rescheduled elections in eight constituencies of the state.
Police spokesman Butswat Asinim, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the incident.
Asinim, who noted that the robbery might have been an inside job, said the police were investigating it.
He said the police were contacted three hours after the incident, adding that the command had not ascertained the valuables the hoodlums stole from the house.
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