The Joint Task Force in the
Niger Delta, codenamed Operation Delta Safe, yesterday, said its troops have
killed two notorious militants in a shootout along the Obama Flow Station axis
of Nembe Bayelsa East senatorial district of Bayelsa State.
Policemen on Monday
sustained gunshot injuries during a gun battle between some herdsmen and a team
of policemen from the Ughelli Area Command, Delta State.
The incident, it was
gathered, occurred at Bridge 4, along the Ohoror axis of the East-West Road in
Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.
Confirming the incident to
Vanguard yesterday, a top official of the Ohoror community executive, who
accompanied the police team, headed by the Ughelli Area Commander, Mr Usman
Ndanbabo, on the operation, disclosed that one of the herdsmen was apprehended
while others, numbering over 20, fled into the bush. The source said: “When the
Area Commander saw the herdsmen, he beckoned on them in his native tongue to come
to him so that they can talk. But they refused. Before we knew what was
happening, there were gunshots from both sides as the herdsmen fled in all
directions.
“At the end of the day, a
policeman was shot, while one of the herdsmen, who fled into the river with his
AK-47, was apprehended and immediately taken to the Police Command
headquarters, Asaba, for investigation.”
A senior officer at the
Ughelli Area Command described the report as “baseless and unfounded,” while
the state Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Aniamaka, promised to get
back to Vanguard with details, but had not done so at press time. Troops kill 2
militants in Bayelsa Yenagoa—The Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, codenamed
Operation Delta Safe, yesterday, said its troops have killed two notorious
militants in a shootout along the Obama Flow Station axis of Nembe Bayelsa East
senatorial district of Bayelsa State.
Troops of Sector 2,
deployed in the area, reportedly raided the camp of the militants, following a
tip-off by the locals and vigilante, which resulted in a shootout and death of
the militants. According to a statement by the spokesman of the operation,
Lt.-Col Olaolu Daudu, in Yenagoa: ”One of the suspects is a notorious leader of
criminals, popularly known as Labista, who is on security agencies watch list
and had at various times engaged in high profile kidnapping, killing of
security personnel in ambushes, piracy, robbery and other criminal activities.
“Labista and his cohort
dived into the river in a bid to escape, while the raid was ongoing and were
engaged by our troops. “At the end of the operation, the bodies of two
notorious criminals were found floating on the waters. They were recovered and
deposited at government morgue.” Items recovered, he said, included two single-barrelled
guns, cutlass and four speed boats. The Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Rear
Admiral Apochi Ogabu Suleiman, according to the statement, assured the people
of the region of their safety and security.
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