Nysc Corps members carrying the casket bearing the remains of their colleague, Chukwudumebi Okonta who was killed during the last Rivers rerun elections after a requiem mass at Holy Family Catholic Church Ajaji Illah, Oshimili North LGA, Delta State last Friday
Operation Pulo Shield, the
Joint Military Force deployed to the Niger Delta region says it has deployed security agents to sea routes and creeks in search of the hoodlums who killed two of their men last Tuesday just it also expressed sadness over the incident.
Spokesman of Joint Military Force in the Niger Delta, Col Isa Ado,has confirmed the death of two soldiers in a gun duel with suspected kidnappers near Nembe in Bayelsa.
Ado said in a telephone interview yesterday that the troops in pursuit of the fleeing kidnappers killed one of the suspects while some arrests were made but said details were still sketchy on the operation.
“The unfortunate incident happened on Tuesday morning at Ogbolomabiri-Nembe junction, some two kilometers away from Nembe, our troops on escort duty encountered some gunmen who happened to be kidnappers.
“The kidnappers attacked our soldiers and there was exchange of gunfire and we lost two of our personnel and they whisked away an expatriate who works for a construction firm Setraco and fled through the waterways.
“However the loss of our personnel is regrettable and most unfortunate and their death on the line of duty for the development of the Niger Delta region is very painful.
“Their supreme sacrifice can never be in vain as the commander of operation Pulo Shield has given stern directives to apprehend the criminals to face prosecution and free the hostage.
“We have intensified aggressive patrols and it is yielding results, there are developments on the matter, our men had an encounter with the pirates one of them was killed.
“We found three victims in their boat, made some arrests and some of them escaped but we are on their trail and we shall issue a statement as soon as we get all the details together,” Ado said.
Ado also said that the nationality of the expatriate suspected to be a Lebanese could not yet be confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs Ibim Semenitari,has condemned the killing of two soldiers and abduction of an expatriate working on the Ogbia-Nembe road in Bayelsa last Tuesday.
A statement signed by the NDDC boss and issued to newsmen in Port Harcrout, quoted Semenitari as saying the victims were attached to Setraco Nigeria Limited, handling the road project awarded by the commission.
She described the incident as ‘saddening’ saying the road was meant to bring development to the Niger Delta Region.
“ The road project is undertaken by the commission in partnership with Shell to open up communities along this stretch, all the way to Nembe and then Brass.
“It will improve commerce, reduce incidents of piracy and improve the living conditions of the people,” she said.
She said that the first phase of the road project could have been ready for inauguration later this month, but would not be possible because contractors were pulling out of site.
She said that development could not be carried out in an insecure environment.
“ I call on communities of the Niger Delta, civil society organisations, governments and government agencies, the security agencies to do all that is necessary within the law to bring an end to this,” she said.
She also called on the security agencies, communities, local and state governments to guarantee the safety of personnel and infrastructure at all sites.
