A field Commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Tubotamuno Angolia, also known as ‘Boy Chiki,’ was on Tuesday killed in Bakana, Rivers State.
The militant leader was said to have been felled by bullets from the JTF troops, who were deployed to the riverine community following the escalation of fighting between armed gangs there.
A source said Chiki, who might have sneaked into the community was surrounded by troops and shot while he attempted to flee for his life.
When contacted, the spokesman of the task force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said the troops arrested Angolia.
Musa said Chiki was arrested at about 7.55 am by static troops in Bakana.
He said, “It would be recalled that due to recurrent militant crisis and subsequent exodus of people from Bakana, the JTF Commander, Maj. Gen. Sakin Yarkin-Bello, deployed troops to the area to contain the crisis.
“Today, we succeeded in arresting one of the most wanted suspects in our list. He was brought to the local JTF headquarters and was later moved to our headquarters in Port Harcourt.
“As the contingent was about to move for Port Harcourt, he jumped and tried to run away and when our men chased and could not get at him, he was fired at. He died as a result of the bullet wounds he sustained while trying to run away.”
Earlier on Monday night, heavily-armed men invaded a church located off Ada George Road in Mgbuoba, Port Harcourt and abducted the Deputy General Manager of Total E&P Nigeria Limited, Mr. Ikechukwu Anozie.
He was said to have gone to the church for an evening programme and was still there when the gunmen entered the premises and forcefully took him and fled into the darkness.
Anozie’s wife was also kidnapped last year and kept for days before being released by her captors.
Three officials of the multinational oil firm are still being held hostage by suspected gangs in the region.
Mrs. Bosede Ukana, the wife of a top official of the company was picked up by gunmen while going to the salon in company with her daughter and sister.