Sea-pirates operating along Southern Ijaw waterways have killed three men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police.
Sunday Sun gathered that the suspected sea pirates ambushed the security agents Friday night along the Okoron Creek of Southern Ijaw Local government of Bayelsa.
Investigations showed that the security personnel were escorting an oil barge from Koluama community when they suddenly came under heavy gunfire at Okoron community on their way to Tebidaba flow station, operated by Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
Though the security personnel fought back but the firepower of the suspected sea pirates was too much for them. The three security operatives were killed in the process while three others in the escort team escaped with gunshot wounds.
“Yes three security personnel were killed Friday night. Two Civil Defence personnel and one policeman were involved. The news got to us about 9pm on Friday and immediately we dispatched our security surveillance team to the area to ascertain the true position. We saw that a military gunboat had arrived with some NSCDC personnel, who survived the attack. They have recovered the corpses of the slain security personnel but without their rifles which the hoodlums took away,” the source said.
The Commandant of the NSCDC, Desmond Agu, was saddened by the development when briefed over the incident.
Sunday Sun gathered that Agu has called an emergency meeting of the leadership of the NSCDC, Bayelsa Command to deliberate on the incident.
A top security source said heads of the different security agencies in Bayelsa state are also to hold a security meeting with government officials over the continued, unprovoked attacks on security agents operating in the state.
Agu who confirmed the incident however claimed that two policemen and one NSCDC personnel were killed in the attack.
According to him one of the deceased NSCDC personnel is an indigine of Okpoduare community in Southern Ijaw.
A police source said a distress call has been sent by the State Police Command to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris , in Abuja over the incident stating the findings of preliminary investigation on the nature of the escort duty.
The source however faulted the claim by the NSCDC command that the team were on routine anti-pipeline vandalism patrol before the attack, stressing that the attack occurred when the security personnel were on escort duty not known to the Bayelsa Police command.
The Senior Police Officer blamed the security personnel for coming under attack from criminals when not moving with a gunboat while on duty along the creeks and waterways of Southern Ijaw, Brass, Nembe and Ekeremor local government areas of Bayelsa state.
Recall that suspected sea pirates less than a month ago ambushed and attacked a military patrol team killing a soldier and a civilian at Letugbene community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
