LIEUTENANT COLONEL AND SIX OTHER SECURITY MEN KILLED IN BAYELSA

Four policemen and three military personnel among them a Lieutenant Colonel were yesterday, killed by unidentified gunmen along the waterways of Nembe and Brass local government council areas ofBayelsa State.

While four policemen were reportedly killed at the Marine Police Checkpoint in the Nembe Creek at about 7am, the attack on the lieutenant colonel and the two Naval ratings occurred at the OkpoamaRiver junction at about 10am on their way to Ogbia waterside. Eyewitnesses said the police and military personnel were ambushed by the yet to be identified gunmen suspected to be pirates in separate attacks.

The gunmen were said to have approached the marine police checkpoint and the two speedboats conveying the military personnel in two speed boats and opened fire on them. Although the police authorities confirmed that four of their men were killed by unidentified gunmen around the Nembe creek, a source from the area told Vanguard that the death toll could be more as the policemen were caught off guard by the gunmen who shot them at close range.

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The state Commissioner of Police, Chris Olakpe, who was thrown into mourning, could not speak with newsmen on the incident, but the Command Spokesman, Mr. Emokpae Eguavoen (ASP) confirmed the incident. He said four corpses from the attacked team of Marine Policemen have so far been recovered. On the killing of the military men, the State Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union,Comrade Lloyd Sese and a government source who pleaded anonymity confirmed the incident and said it occurred at about 10am yesterday.

The government source said, “only one military officer and two Naval ratings were attacked with other passengers in a boat at Okpoama junction of the Brass-Ogbia route of the river. We can not confirm if they were killed.”

In his reaction, the Media Coordinator of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Timothy Antigha said although the JTF is waiting for a full report on the attack, it remained “unconfirmed”.

“There are unconfirmed reports of an armed attack on military personnel by yet to be identified gunmen. The attack reportedly took place yesterday, while the personnel were enroute Ogbia from Brass. Details are still sketchy for now. New development will be communicated in due course,” Lt Col Antigha said.