ATTACK ON VP-ELECT'S HOUSE MARKS THIRD ATTACK IN

S E C R E T LAGOS 000363 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR FLISER STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2017 TAGS: ASEC CASC EPET KDEM PGOV PREL NI SUBJECT: ATTACK ON VP-ELECT'S HOUSE MARKS THIRD ATTACK IN SEVEN MONTHS REF: A. LAGOS 355 ¶B. 06 LAGOS 1430 ¶C. LAGOS 343 Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne for reasons 1.4 (B) and ( D) ¶1. (C) Vice President-elect Governor Goodluck Jonathan's country residence in Bayelsa State was attacked early morning on May 16. According to press reports, militants approached the house by boat, fired shots and detonated dynamite, purportedly killing one policeman. Jonathan left Yenagoa immediately after the attack. On May 17, a Bayelsa government official told POLOFF this was Jonathan's mother's house located outside Yenagoa (Ref A). The Bayelsa State government's preliminary investigations suggested agitated university students were responsible for the attack. On May 21, the same government official told POLOFF he could not provide additional details over the telephone but said he would provide an update when he meets POLOFF on May 24. No one has claimed responsibility for these attacks. ¶2. (S) Comment: This marks the third attack against Governor Jonathan. The first attack occurred in November 2006 on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) house in Yenagoa when Jonathan was campaigning for the party's gubernatorial nomination (Ref B); the second attack occurred at Government House on the eve of the presidential elections, April 20. Most likely this third and most recent attack was motivated by local political squabbles. However, these incidents suggest that the selection of Governor Jonathan as the Vice President will not appease all Ijaws. Within such a decentralized ethnic group, one's best friends as well as worst enemies are among your kith and kin. End Comment. BROWNE