Barely three weeks after an ambush on a military houseboat that killed two in Southern Ijaw creeks in Bayelsa, suspected militants have attacked a tugboat in the same area and killed three crew members and the Nigerian military that dissipate energy and resources on IPOB unarmed protesters seem not to have the guts to confront the armed and dangerous militants.
It would also be recalled that suspected Niger Delta militants had on August 28, 2017 ambushed a houseboat operated by the Joint Task Force and killed a soldier and a civilian crew member. The military did nothing. They were rather busy confronting clueless Namdi Kanu, the self-seeking leader of IPOB rather than protect the territorial zones of Nigeria.
An oil services vessel with a combined team of security escort on board and civilians was again attacked on Friday September 22 by suspected sea pirates at Ekebiri Waterways in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa. Media reports have it that two of the victims of the incident, which occurred on Friday were security escorts and a civilian crew member of the tugboat towing a vessel.
Police Public Relations Officer for Bayelsa Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat who confirmed the incident said that one police operative was still missing as his remains has yet to be recovered. He said a response team dispatched to the crime scene rescued eight occupants of the ill-fated boat while efforts are underway to arrest the suspected armed men.
His words, “On September 22, at about 18.45hrs, a Tugboat, towing a Barge with a combined team of policemen from the Nigerian Inland Waterways, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and civilians on board was attacked by suspected sea pirates. The incident took place at Ekebiri Waterways in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa. A reinforced team arrived shortly and rescued one policeman, three NSCDC personnel and four civilians.
“However, a policeman, one NSCDC personnel and a civilian were shot dead by the sea pirates; one policeman is still missing.’’ According to him, the remains of the victims had been recovered and deposited at the Federal Medical Centre Mortuary, Yenagoa, for autopsy.
