Armored Personnel Carrier Deployed To Guard Mrs. Jonathan’s Guest House In Bayelsa

A few days after the Goodluck Jonathan
administration withdrew operatives of the Joint
Task Force assigned to protect Government
House in Rivers State, SaharaReporters has learnt
that the president’s wife, Patience Jonathan, is
using soldiers to guard her private guest house
in Yenogoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.
Earlier this week, the Presidency ordered the
withdrawal of JTF operatives guarding the official
residence of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi
as a political feud between the governor, on the
one hand, and President Jonathan and his wife,
on the other, intensified. There was chaos in the
chambers of the Rivers State legislature as four
state law makers tied to the president and First
Lady attempted, but failed, to impeach the
speaker. In the aftermath of a bloody
confrontation, the Jonathan administration pulled
Mr. Amaechi’s security apparatus, which is
controlled by the Federal Government.
By contrast, soldiers paid by Nigerian taxpayers
are deployed to keep round-the-clock guard at
Magels Resort, a commercial guest house owned
by Mrs. Jonathan. The guest house has been
shut down for several years and is undergoing
extensive renovation that began about six weeks
ago. In addition to the presence of armed
soldiers, a brand new armed personnel carrier is
also permanently stationed at the premises of the
First Lady’s guest house.
Apart from the guest house, Mrs. Jonathan also
owns a five-star hotel in the Okaka area of
Yenagoa. The hotel, which construction was
recently completed, is also heavily guarded by
operatives of the JTF.
Mrs. Jonathan, who is notorious for greed and
corruption, has acquired extensive landed
properties in both Rivers and Bayelsa states. Her
desire to control the politics of her home state of
Rivers State is a big element in a simmering
political crisis that turned bloody this week. Law
makers loyal to Mrs. Jonathan stormed the state
legislature with a contingent of thugs in a daring
attempt to hijack the leadership of the legislative
body.
Outraged by the absurd turn of events, Nobel
laureate Wole Soyinka called on President
Jonathan to restrain his wife’s meddlesomeness
in the affairs of Rivers State.
Mrs. Jonathan bankrolled the lavish wedding
ceremony of one of the four lawmakers who
spearheaded the chaos in the state assembly.