Troops Clash With Militants, Pirates In Niger Delta Creeks

Troops of Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe (ODS) have clashed with militants believed to be members of the Niger Delta Avengers in the creeks of Delta State. The troops of Sector 1 of ODS were said to have encountered the militants and engaged them in a gun duel at the Batan-Egwa creeks in Warri South-west Local Government Area of the state.

The operatives were reportedly deployed in an outpost of the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) to protect the facilities of the firm when they saw two 200 horsepower boats conveying the militants.

The Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC) of ODS, Lt. Col. Olaolu Dauda, confirmed the encounter in a statement in Yenagoa but said the troops repelled the militants.

“They came in 200 horsepower speed capacity boats but were subsequently engaged and repelled. Effort is ongoing to apprehend the criminals”, he said.

He, however, added: “Troops at Batan reported a loud sound suspected to be an explosion. Further findings revealed that a barge carrying equipment used for the repairs of the Trans Forcados Pipeline at the repair site in Eweregbene community was blown by suspected Niger Delta Avengers militants who retreated after troops repelled the attack.

“However, two unexploded dynamites found at the scene on a branch and swamp buggy were successfully detonated by our troops”.

Olaolu also disclosed that troops of Sector 2, Bayelsa State, in conjunction with Special Forces conducted patrols at Sand-sand Fishing Camp and uncovered attempts by militants to reactivate an earlier-destroyed camp.

“The troops engaged the suspected militants and killed one of them popularly called ‘Edoboy’. He was one of the notorious kinpins on the wanted list of security agencies who had been terrorizing innocent members of the communities in the area”, he said.

He said the troops also engaged another group of suspected sea robbers at creeks close to Lobia community in Bayelsa.

He said: “One suspect popularly known as “Stainless Gobo” was killed while others escaped with various degrees of injuries towards Lobia Community.

“The killed suspected sea robber is believed to be affiliated to a wanted militant called “VIP”. One AK 47, two magazines, 29 rounds of 7.62milimeter special, 10 empty cases, seven charms, two head warmers and a cutlass were recovered from the scene”.

The spokesman said a passenger boat was rescued from sea robbers at Idoro River in Ozobo Community, Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State.

He said while trying to escape, the sea robbers’ vessel collided with the passenger boat and capsized adding that four of the suspects were nabbed.

He said troops were making efforts to recover four locally-made double-barrel guns belonging to the suspects from the river while the arrested suspects were being quizzed.

Olaolu further said that a wooden boat conveying 53 drums of illegally-refined petroleum product were intercepted at Asugbo Tibigbene and Beneth River Warri South Local Government.

The spokesman confirmed that one Vincent Moses and Emuotu Godbless Oghenechonuohwo were arrested with a white coloured Toyota Hiace bus conveying ten plastic drums with 220 litre capacity each and 19 jerrycans of suspected Automated Gas Oil (AGO).

They were arrested along Okwagbe – Ughelli road and handed over to the Delta State Command of the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)