Militants Kills Three Soldiers Cart Away With Weapons In Balyelsa

         

Suspected Militant  attacked newly-activated Joint Task Force, Operation Delta safe on Monday in Bayelsa, killed 3 soldiers at  about 9.30am,  at Tombi Jetty, Ogolomabiri in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.

The militants were also said to have made away with military gunboats, rifles and other ammunition, after an ambush on the operatives stationed at a checkpoint.

It was also learnt that heavy sounds of gunshots allegedly fired during the surprise attack unsettled the community for about 30 minutes.
The checkpoint, it was learnt, is located at the community’s entrance and had been in existence since the era of militancy in the Niger Delta.

It was  learnt that the gunmen, who stormed the area with unspecified number of speedboats, dressed in white uniform to deceive their targets of their real intentions.
Their immaculate white dresses, it was learnt, were designed to create an impression that they were members of a white garment church on a funeral procession.

A community source said, “The attack was deadly and well planned. Nobody had expected that such a thing would happen at such a time when the jetties were busy with people preparing to go about their businesses.

“I am sure even the soldiers did not expect such an incident to happen at that time. Some persons who were already sailing out of Nembe said they saw the gunmen but thought they were mourners because of the way they dressed.”

The source added that following the attack, some residents in Nembe started fleeing the community while others were thinking of following suit due to widespread fear of reprisal by soldiers.
embattled President, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, condemned the killing of the soldiers.
A military source said the leadership of the ODS, angry at the development, immediately deployed two Alpha Fighter jets to go after the suspected militants.

“Operation Delta Safe has cordoned off the road leading to Nembe. We are on the trail of the criminals and there is no way they can escape. The maritime comportment is also involved in combing the creeks,”