Four patrol boats belonging to the Nigerian Navy in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, were on Sunday attacked by militants.
A source told our correspondents that the boats were patrolling the creeks in the Soku area of Port Harcourt when the militants launched the offensive.
The source, however, said the militants fled when they were almost being overpowered by naval men.
It was learnt that the barges and speedboats used by the militants went up in flames.
A naval source said, �We were on a routine patrol of the area when we suddenly came under attack by the criminals. We responded immediately and there was a fierce exchange of fire.
�The militants, however, fled when they found out that we were going to overpower them. We did not lose any of our men but we would not know whether any of the militants was killed because the attack took place in the night.
�But I can confirm that we sunk barges and speedboats used by the militants for illegal oil bunkering.�
When contacted on the telephone, the spokesman of the Joint Task Force, Major Sagir Musa, confirmed the attack.
Musa said he could not say whether or not any casualty was recorded during the attack.
In Delta State, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, on Saturday, prevented alleged plan by members of the Niger Delta Survival Front, to shut down the Escravos Loading Terminal and Tank Farm of Chevron Nigeria Limited.
Uduaghan was said to have arrived at the hideout of the group in Madagho, one of the five oil-rich Ugborodo communities in Warri South West Local Government Area, and persuaded the group to shelve the plan.
The governor urged the group to employ civilised means to resolve their differences with the oil firm.
He, thereafter, invited them to a meeting with officials of the CNL in Warri on Sunday.
One of our correspondents gathered that Uduaghan visited the area following a report by the management of the oil company that the youths of the community were mobilising to disrupt its operations.
Findings revealed that the CNL management acted on an intelligence report that armed youths had assembled at Madagho, apparently to launch attacks on its facilities.
Unconfirmed reports had said that troops of the JTF engaged the militants in a gun battle.
The leaders of NDSF said three of their members were injured in the encounter.
The NDSF had given a two-week ultimatum to the CNL management and all the contracting firms handling its Escravos Gas- to-Liquid project to employ some youths of the community and to award contracts to their kinsmen or face their wrath.
The deadline expired on Sunday.
When contacted, the CNL�s spokesman, Mr. Femi Odumabo, confirmed that Uduaghan was invited to intervene in the matter.
Odumabo, in a telephone interview, said the governor summoned the leaders of the group and top officials of the CNL to a meeting to resolve the impasse.
Source: The Punch