Suspected militants on Tuesday morning launched an attack on the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas facility in Bonny, Rivers State, killing two riot policemen and a private guard.
This came barely a day after suspected militants in speedboats attacked Nigerian Navy gunboats in Soku area of Port Harcourt.
A source from the company said that the assailants arrived at the LNG Water Well Access Gate at about 3am and opened fire on six armed policemen and two private guards, who were on duty.
Two out of the six policemen and one of the private guards sustained fatal injuries and died shortly after the attack, the source said, while two other policemen who also sustained serious injuries were rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
The source said the state police command had dispatched reinforcement to the area to prevent further attack on the facility and personnel.
He said, �Six riot policemen and two contract guards were on duty at the LNG Water Well Access Gate when the militants arrived and opened fire on them.
�The security operatives were overwhelmed by the attackers because they least prepared for it. The militants gunned down two of the policemen and one of the private guards. They disappeared through the creek after the attack.�
When contacted on the telephone, the Commissioner, Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu, confirmed the killing.
He said the gunmen appeared from one of the creeks where the LNG facility is located and immediately opened fire on the security officials who manned the gate of the company.
Ogbaudu, however, said that the gunmen did not gain access to the LGN facility in spite of the attack.
He said, �I was woken up shortly after the incident occurred at about 3am this morning.
�The gunmen came from one of the creeks in Bonny and opened fire on the security personnel stationed at the gate of the company.
�Three persons were killed in the attack including two policemen and one private security guard. But the gunmen only attacked the guards at the gate of the company but could not access the premises.�
The police boss also confirmed that enough security personnel had been sent to the area.
Source: The Punch