The Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta has arrested five members of a militant group at the Soku gas plant area in Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Information available showed that the militants who are currently being quizzed by security agencies were arrested in the early hours of yesterday around 1am, when they opened fire on a Naval patrol craft which ran into them.
After a gun battle that lasted for more than two hours, some boats of the militants were allegedly sunk by the combined team of the Task Force which has kept mute on the casualty figures but admitted that those arrested were undergoing interrogation at an undisclosed location.
Confirming the story, the Army Public Relations Officer in the State, Major Segir Musa said the boys were arrested early yesterday after a gun battle where they were outgunned by the Task force members and subsequently arrested.
“There was no casualty on the side of the security men, but if there was any on the side of the militants, I wont know because given the time it happened, the place was very dark. As I am talking to you now, the militants are about being handed over to the SSS”, Musa stated.
He however stressed that there was no better alternative to dialogue as the nation could not be at war with itself and pleaded with the militants to tow the path of dialogue than resort to arms.However, a source near the area of conflict said that the militants who were overwhelmed by the task Force had somehow made the incident known to their colleagues who fearing that the identity of their group as well as those involved in the attack could be unmasked, sent some of their members to try and retrieve the reamains of their fallen colleagues.
Unknown to them, the Task force had also calculated that the militants would come for their dead colleagues and set up a reconnaissance team around the areas and they did not wait long before they arrived with a 25 Horsepower outboard engine boat and ran into the ambush set up by the military.
An attempt by the boys to escape was easily blocked by the ready team of the Task Force which chased and arrested them from where they were taken to the Naval Base at Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt and later to an unknown destination for interrogations.
Meanwhile, to forestall any repreissal attacks by the militants some of who sources said escasped, the Task Force has beefed up security around the area while their men are said to be on red alert.
Feb162007