An explosion rocked the home of an ex-militant leader in Bayelsa, Eris Paul, popularly known as General Ogunboss, in Bayelsa, on Thursday, the police and residents said.
Residents of the building said the explosion was caused by a dynamite thrown into from outside, in Etege, Yenagoa, while General Ogunboss and his friends were relaxing around 11pm.
Following the incident, some Nigerian Air Force personnel, residing next to the ex-militant leader, cordoned off the area and restricted vehicular movement.
The attack has renewed tension among the ex-militant youth over their disagreement with the state government on the management of a pipeline surveillance contract awarded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Ogunboss was among the ex-militant leaders who led a protest, last week, against the state government over an alleged plot to hijack the pipeline security contract from the NNPC.
The state government had condemned the protest, while a group of militants under the aegis of Mangrove Boys of Bayelsa threatened to match force with force with the ex-militants should they attack the state government again over the pipeline contract.
Confirming the incident, Ogunboss said the dynamite attack on his home was part of a suspected attacks on him and his supporters in the last few days due to his position against the state government plan.
”Two days ago, one of my followers escaped assassination,” he said. “Some strange faces were in his home (Wednesday) night. They were masked and armed with AK-47 rifles. They rough-handled the wife and the husband escaped. I asked him to go and report at Akenfa Police Station. While we were waiting, this explosion occurred.”
Contacted on the incident, Butswat Asinim, police spokesperson in the state, said the distress call the police received from the ex-militant leader, at about 10.20pm, was that of a fire incident.
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