The Federal Government on Tuesday issued a-48 hour ultimatum to Bayelsa State Government to ascertain the whereabouts of 12 soldiers and nine oil workers declared missing after an encounter with the militants in the state on Sunday.
The government said the soldiers and oil workers must be produced dead or alive before the expiration of the ultimatum.
Consequently, the government threatened a military operation in the state on the expiration of the deadline.
Already, the Commander of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Restore Hope, Brig.-Gen. Lawrence Ngubane, visited Government House, Yenogoa, on Tuesday, to convey the latest development to the state government.
It was not, however, clear if Ngubane, who departed 93 Battalion, Effurun, headquarters of JTF on Tuesday morning, met the state Governor, Mr. Timipre Silva – Sam.
The militants attacked Ogboinbiri flow station of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company on Sunday, apparently to avenge the killing of their kinsmen on Wednesday by soldiers on surveillance duty on the oil platform.
It was gathered that nine out of the 11 unarmed youths who were on their way to a community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa State were allegedly killed by the troops attached to the JTF.
Although the authorities of JTF were hopeful that the soldiers and the oil workers were still alive, investigation revealed that they might have been killed by the militants.
The spokesman of JTF, Major Omale Ochagwuba, declined to confirm if the soldiers were killed or abducted.
However, our correspondent learnt that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Owoye Azazi, who supervises the JTF, contacted Ngubane on Monday evening and intimated him with the position of the federal government on the incident.
Azazi reportedly directed Ngubane to convey the position to Silva-Sam in Yenagoa on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, uneasy calm reigned at JTF�s headquarters in Effurun, Delta State , on Tuesday due to fate of the troops of the outfit.
Officers and men of the security agency met in groups discussing the fate of their colleagues amidst reports that the authorities were preparing for a military operation to dislodge the militants from the oil platform.
Ngubane, in a telephone interview on Tuesday, confirmed that he visited Yenagoa but he declined to give details of his mission in the area.
�I am in Yenogoa and I am in a meeting now. I don�t have time to entertain questions at the moment,� Ngubane said before he hung the phone.
But a senior officer of JTF confirmed the ultimatum to Bayelsa state government by the federal government.
The source, who craved anonymity, said Ngugane was mandated to deliver the deadline to Silva – Sam.
In a related development, nine Ijaw youths were on Monday night arrested by the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Restore Hope, on the Abiteye production platform of Chevron Nigeria Limited in Delta State .
Also, the American oil firm regained the facility on Monday night, shortly after the protesting youths from Benikrukru community were dislodged from the platform by the troops of JTF.
The troops of JTF were supported by some indigenes of the community.
Our correspondent learnt that reinforcement sent to the platform by the Commander of JTF, Brig.-Gen. Lawrence Ngubane, overpowered the youths and freed the facility on Monday night.