Posted by By FEMI FOLARANMI, Yenagoa on
Three naval men were feared dead in a late night attack at an oil facility of the Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) by suspected militants along the Nembe creeks in Nembe local government of Bayelsa State.
•As militants storm Shell facility
Three naval men were feared dead in a late night attack at an oil facility of the Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) by suspected militants along the Nembe creeks in Nembe local government of Bayelsa State.
According to reports, the suspected militants believed to have come from Rivers State stormed the area which is a border town between Rivers and Bayelsa State with the intention to dispossess the security personnel on duty of their arms but met with a stiff resistance.
In the shoot-out that ensued three naval men were said to have been shot, while the militants, their mission frustrated, disappeared into the creeks.
The Police Public Relations officer, Mr. Inibong Ibokette, in an interview with Daily Sun confirmed the incident but kept mute on the actual number of naval men shot at.
'Yes we heard there was a shoot between militants and naval men in Nembe. But we are yet to get the full details. Also we leant some naval men were shot but the exact number I don't know"
Also, the commander of the 73 Battalion of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) Lt. Col. Christopher Musa, in an interview also confirmed the incident but said the situation had been brought under control.
'There was a shoot out in Nembe between militants and naval men at the border between Bayelsa and Rivers States. The militants are believed to have from Rivers state," he said.
Musa, however, appealed to Bayelsans not to panic because his men were battle ready to ward off any attack from militants in the state.
A source within the militant groups that recently signed a peace accord with the state government dissociated any group in Bayelsa State from the attack noting that the attack was meant to discredit the peace deal.
The source said they would investigate and bring to book the perpetrators of the act just like they did to the kidnappers of the father of the state deputy governor.