Armed Men attack Nigeria embassy in Guinea Bissau

ARMED groups Tuesday attacked the
Nigerian embassy in Bissau, capital of
Guinea-Bissau, a country of about 1.7 million
people. The reason for the action is not yet
known.
The event is happening just as the country is
preparing for its general elections slated for
next month.
Guinea-Bissau currently has an Interim
President, Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo, who
emerged in May 2012 to head a transitional
government following the sacking of the
country’s democratically-elected government
by a military coup.
According to The Guardian sources, armed
personnel and militias stormed the Nigerian
embassy in a commando style, attacking
everyone in sight and eventually causing the
closure of the Nigerian sovereign outpost.
As at press time, members of staff of the
embassy, including the Nigerian envoy to
that country, Ambassador Ahmed Adams,
were said to be taking refuge in a police
station. No casualty has so far been
reported.
All efforts by The Guardian to reach the
Nigerian envoy to the country failed.
Although his telephone rang, he did not
pick.
Although the Federal Government was yet to
officially react to the development yesterday,
it was learnt that the supervisory Minister of
Foreign Affairs 11, Ambassador Nurudeen
Mohammed, rushed to the Presidential Villa
yesterday ostensibly, among other things, to
brief President Goodluck Jonathan. All efforts
to reach the minister yesterday on the
matter failed.
Events in Guinea-Bissau took a dangerous
turn on April 12, 2012, when the army
arrested Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior
who was about to be elected president. A
military junta accused him of conspiring
with Angola to curtail the military’s power
and quickly installed transitional authorities,
before officially stepping aside on May 22.
International condemnation was swift, but
differences developed between the
Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) and the Community of Portuguese
Speaking Countries (CPLP).
The country was actually in the process of
conducting elections when the military
overthrew the constitutional order on April
12, 2012. This incident resulted in the
suspension of the country from all
international organisations. However,
following the country’s inability to form a
government well over a month after the
coup, Nigeria, in close collaboration with
ECOWAS, assisted in negotiations that
resulted in the transitional government led
by President Manuel Nhamadjo. Since then,
Nigeria has provided various forms of
assistance to Guinea- Bissau to the value of
$50 million.
The Guardian learnt Tuesday that some high
grade pick-up vans meant to be donated
next week to Guinea-Bissau for the
upcoming elections have now been put on
hold following yesterday’s ugly development.