The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has claimed it killed over six soldiers after an attack on one of its camp by the military in Ke River, Rivers State, on Thursday.
Spokesman of the militant group, Jomo Gbomo, in a statement sent by e-mail to the Nigerian Tribune, said three of its fighters were killed in the attack which reportedly took place at around 7.00 a.m.
The MEND spokesman said its camp commander at Ke River called for reinforcement to repel the attack of the military who came in three boats.
According to him, “at about 7.00 a.m on Thursday, the Nigerian military attacked one of our minor camps around the Ke River in Rivers State of Nigeria with three gunboats.
“The camp commander called for reinforcement and the gunboats were repelled with over six soldiers killed and three fighters wounded on our side.
“The attack on a civilian helicopter in Bayelsa State should be a warning to the oil industry in oil communities.”
But the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Rivers State, through its spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Musa Sagir, described the report as false, saying “in the past two weeks, the JTF has not had any confrontation with militants.”