Police Refute Assassination Attempt On Former President Jonathan Goodluck Of Nigeria

by Benson Agoha | Nigeria News

The Nigerian Police has refuted a report that Nigeria's immediate past President Jonathan Goodluck (below) was nearly assassinated on Monday.

Nigeria's Popular Daily, This Day Newspapers reported Tuesday that the suspects denied trying to kill him.

This Day reported that the men did not realise it was the former President till they followed his convoy to his House. But when they realized it was him, they "withdrew and took to their heels."

“There was no attack on the former president. The youths mistook his convoy for a governorship candidate engaged in campaigns." the police spokesman was quoted as saying, adding “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,” .

Mondays reported said former President Goodluck Jonathan reportedly escaped death from men suspected of bad intentions.

One report said President Jonathan's convoy was a target as some men who work a rival party (the APC) reportedly drove into his convoy.

At the time of the incident, the former President was travelling to the State Capital Yenagoa when the men, having trailed from behind, gave chase and attempted to intercept the convoy before they drove into the former president's home.

* Mistake: Suspects trailed him to his house, then ran away.

In turn, the men were chased down, intercepted and detained by the his security operatives

The former President handed over power to the incumbent, president Muhammadu Buhari who was away in Malta between the 27th and 29th of November, attending the Common Wealth Heads of governments Meeting, chaired by Her Majesty the Queen.

The suspects (below) were subsequently taken to the Bayelsa State Police Command for interrogation.

President Jonathan Goodluck recently denied knowledge of how a reported $2.1bn supposedly released for purchase of Arms for the Nigerian Army, in the face of a rampaging Boko Haram threat, was stolen and no arms delivered.