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| Bayelsa Gov, Dickson |
There is palpable tension in Bayelsa State as pirates
operating on the waterways of Nembe, in the Nembe Local Government Area of
Bayelsa, brazenly killed a soldier, identified only as Rabiu and attached to
the Joint Military Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield.
In the attack on the JTF operatives on Tuesday
morning, other soldiers were said to have been injured.
The soldiers were said to be on patrol of the
waterways when they ran into the pirates, who reportedly operated on a vessel
that looked like a speedboat.
It was learnt that the soldiers, on sighting the
speedboat, attempted to intercept it for a routine check.
Instead of stopping in obedience to the soldiers’
directive, the hoodlums were said to have opened fire on the patrol team.
It was learnt that the soldiers engaged the
pirates in a gunfight but they escaped.
Rabiu was said to have been hit by the bullets of
the criminals while the driver of the patrol boat, a civilian, and others
sustained injuries.
Rabiu was said to have died at the Brass Terminal
operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company where the injured casualties were
rushed after the encounter.
A security source, who did not want his name
mentioned, said medical personnel battled in vain to save Rabiu’s life.
Narrating the incident, the source said, “They
didn’t know that the occupants of the speedboat were pirates. They waved at
them but they refused to stop. The next thing was that the pirates engaged the
soldiers.”
Reacting to the incident, the JTF said the patrol
team successfully repelled the sea pirates’ attack along the waterways.
The Media Coordinator, JTF, Lt. Col. Mustapha
Anka, said, “Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, patrolling
along Ogbia-Brass route on a tip off of a sea robbery, were attacked at Orukiri
– fishing Camp in the early hours of today, October 14, 2014.
“The incident resulted in the exchange of fire
between JTF troops and sea robbers. A soldier was wounded during the incident
while the rest returned to base safely.”
Meanwhile, the JTF has arrested no fewer than
nine suspected oil thieves and destroyed 31 illegal refineries in its
operations in the region last week.
The JTF also said it intercepted an illegal
tugboat, christened ‘MV Tobester’, loaded with suspected illegally refined
Automated Gas Oil along Tonmogbene area in Warri South-West Local Government
Area of Delta State.
Anka said the captain of the tugboat, Mr.
Akinfemiwa Bojo, and the engineer, Mr. Solomon Ogunlona, on board the vessel
were also arrested.
Anka said the duo had been handed over to Sector
2 of the JTF for preliminary investigation before being handed over to the
relevant prosecuting agency.
He said while the vessel was anchored at the
Nigeria Port Authority, the troops also discovered a hose illegally connected
to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation with two boats filled with
suspected stolen crude oil.
He said the items were destroyed immediately in
line with the mandate of the task force.
Anka said, “Thirteen illegal oil distillation
camps were also destroyed around Gbarum Market in Southern Ijaw Local
Government Area of Bayelsa State where oil thieves operate with plastic tanks
filled with suspected illegally acquired crude oil.
“The sites and the equipment were destroyed along
with the trucks and products. Other items discovered were: 32 plastic tankers
with capacity of 200 litres each filled with substance suspected to be stolen
crude oil siphoned from an oil well head. “
The spokesman said in the Sector 2 area, JTF
troops patrolling along Igbemotoru area scuttled 18 illegal crude oil
refineries where oil thieves operated with Cotonou boats filled with stolen
diesel and 13 illegal storing facilities.
He said the camps and the products were
destroyed, while seven suspects were also arrested along Nonwa Tai Road
operating a truck.
Punch
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