Hoodlums, suspected to be sea robbers, have killed two
soldiers and injured three others in a boundary area between Bayelsa and Rivers
states.
The soldiers were said to be attached to the troops of the
Joint Military Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Delta Safe, with
headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
It was learnt that the incident, which took place on
Wednesday, occurred around Ijawkiri General area, a border community between
Kalabari in Rivers and Nembe in Bayelsa.
The Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre, Major Abubakar
Abdullahi, confirmed the attack in a statement on Thursday.
Abdullahi said, ‘’Sadly, our troops deployed in Creek 6 Houseboat,
Cawthorne Channel, while responding to a distress call of sea robbers attack
around the Ijawkiri General area, engaged heavily armed sea robbers.
‘’Unfortunately, two gallant soldiers exhibited the highest
level of patriotism by paying the supreme price, while three others sustained
gunshot injuries.
‘’Effort is ongoing by the JTF to track and apprehend the
criminals.’’
The coordinator also said that the troops, in continuation
of their drive to accomplish their mandate in the region, uncovered and
destroyed 13 illegal refineries in the Iyalama Adama area of Rivers.
He, however, said no arrest was made during the destruction
of the refineries.
Meanwhile, an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil
Defence Corps, attached to the Bayelsa State Command, and a suspected armed
robber, were killed in a gun battle.
It was learnt that the incident took place along Kolo Creek,
in the Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that a gang of suspected armed robbers
operating in the area had lay in ambush for a patrol van of the NSCDC
operatives.
The armed robbers reportedly lay in ambush for the civil
defence officers after allegedly attacking a police checkpoint along the road.
A security source claimed that the suspected robbers caught
the policemen off guard and succeeded in forcing them to surrender their
weapons around 12pm on Wednesday.
The source said the robbers made away with three Ak47 rifles
and several rounds of ammunition belonging to the police.
He said, “When they escaped from the scene, they sighted a
security patrol van manned by operatives of the NSCDC and hid in a bush. When
the van approached, they opened fire on it, killing one of the operatives.
‘’But the operatives fired back and killed one of the armed
robbers; others, however, escaped.”
It was gathered that the remains of the armed robber and his
pump action rifle, were recovered by the operatives and taken to the NSCDC
headquarters in Yenagoa.
They reportedly handed them over to the state Commandant of
the NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu.
When contacted, Agu confirmed that armed robbers lay in
ambush for a patrol van of the corps and killed an operative.
He, however, praised his men for fighting back and
overpowering the robbers which resulted in the killing of one of the robbers.
Agu said he was not aware of the attack on the police
checkpoint, noting that he had handed over the rifle and the corpse of the
robber to the police.
Reacting to the development, spokesman for the Bayelsa State
Police Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, confirmed that a police patrol team was
attacked by the gunmen.
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