The face-off between men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and militants operating along the creeks and waterways of the Niger Delta continued yesterday.
Three naval ratings on guard duties at Shell Petro-leum Development Company (SPDC) facility at Nembe, Bayelsa state, were killed by suspected militants in retaliation of the killing of 14 militants by soldiers of the Joint Task Force (JTF) on Sunday.
Yesterday’s reprisal attack by the militants was daring as they invaded Nembe Creek oil platform in broad day light.
The militants’ action, THISDAY gathered, culminated in the soldiers and naval ratings on duty aboard the facility to flee, a situation which allowed the militants to cart away four speed boats belonging to Shell.
Miffed by the action, the Nigerian military high command ordered the deployment of over 30 gunboats to both Nembe and Southern Ijaw local government areas of Bayelsa state
The gunboats were said to have left Warri Naval Base, NNS Delta and Yenagoa in the early hours of yesterday with orders to condone off the Southern Ijaw/Ekremor area and Nembe and its environs including adjoining water routes.
Although the commanding officer of the JTF in Yenagoa, Lt. Col Nkanah Efik, could not be reached, the Co-ordinator of the Joint Media Campaign Centre, Col. Rabe Abubakar, said the security outfit had re-doubled efforts at capturing the militants responsible for the killings.
Abubakar, in a telephone chat, said the JTF had devised strategies towards recovering the speedboats snatched by the daring militants.
He allayed the fears of the general public, saying the hoodlums would be brought to book and urged law-abiding citizens to go about their businesses without fear of molestation.
The Director of naval Information, Captain Charles Nabadia, however confirmed yesterday the death of the three naval ratings in the attack on the SPDC facility by militants in the Niger Delta region. he said the hijacked vessel had since been recovered.
In order to reduce casualty and carnage that may follow the militants’ attack, the JTF has advised against night movement along the waterways
Apr152009