| Blood flows in Niger
Delta
60 militants killed
By CHRIS IKWUNZE, Port Harcourt, EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
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| Photo: Sun News
Publishing |
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No fewer than 60 militants in the Niger Delta were killed
by the Joint Military Task Force in the last two days in a
bid by the Federal Government to rid the area of spectre of
hostage taking and criminality.
Ten were killed by members of the task force in Bayelsa on
Sunday while 50 Ijaw insurgents lost their lives in a clash
with soldiers at a border town between Delta and Bayelsa states
Monday.
But the oil firms operating in the region have expressed concern
at the renewed crack down , fearing that it could escalate
hostage-taking and attacks on their facilities.
The daring Ijaw youths, it was gathered, engaged the armed
soldiers in a fierce battle at Yedebe Community in Burutu
council area of Delta State which resulted in heavy casualty.
Investigation revealed there was heavy cross fire between
the soldiers and the armed youths, in which some of the villagers
were injured.
But the Commanding Officer of the NNS Delta, Warri Naval Base,
Captain Mufutau Ajibade, who confirmed the incident said men
of the Operation Restore Hope had stepped into the matter
which he believed has been brought under control.
Major Hammed Said, public relations officer of the task force
who confirmed the incident, however, declined further comments,
adding that details of the attack were yet sketchy.
A military source also said they were acting on President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent directive to wipe out all
forms of criminality in the area.
Meanwhile, the Yedebe community and its environs has been
deserted following the fight. The militants in Bayelsa were
reportedly shot dead in an encounter while returning from
a mission of helping to release a Shell worker, a Nigerian,
who was abducted on August 8.
This came as a clash between two cults in Bodo, Gokana Local
Government Area of Rivers State Sunday left two persons dead.
The two rival groups – Dewell and Degbam were said to
have gone wild following the arrests of a serving commissioner
in the state and a member of the State House of Assembly.
The disturbance lead to the setting ablaze of some houses
and the death of the two deceased believed to be Degbam members.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said
that the gunfight between its fighters and soldiers erupted
on Sunday night after militants went to help release the Shell
worker.
"We sent out 14 fighters to effect the release of a Shell
worker held in Bayelsa State. This was successfully effected
and on the way back, they were ambushed by about 10 JTF (Joint
Task Force) gunboats," MEND said.
"They were attacked without provocation or warning and
we lost 10 of the 14 fighters in this attack," it added.
At press time, MEND said the Shell worker was in one of its
boats when they were attacked, but it did not know whether
he was killed.
The Shell worker was abducted during a routine visit to the
community of Letugbene, in the presence of Bayelsa State government
officials. Industry sources said the state government had
been leading negotiations to secure his freedom.
Daily Sun learnt that the Dewell cult and Degbam, both fighting
for political supremacy in the oil-rich Ogoni, had clashed
at the early hours of Sunday leaving two dead and several
others seriously wounded.
Although the identities of the dead cultists were not immediately
known, police image-maker, Mrs. Ireju Barasua who confirmed
the incident pleaded with journalists to stop giving the cultists
prominent coverage as the publicity seemed to have emboldened
them.
Reports said the latest clash early Sunday was in reaction
to the arrest and detention of the commissioner and lawmaker
who were picked up last Friday by operatives of the State
Security Services (SSS).
The clash in Ogoni was coming on a day frustrated hoodlums
wanted to raid the five star Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt
and kidnap foreign nationals but met stiff resistance from
mobile policemen stationed at the hotel premises. They consequently
descended on a nearby supermarket (name withheld) carting
away goods and cash valued at several millions of naira.
Daily Sun learnt that the armed men had stormed the hotel
in two jeeps with the intent to snatch some white men lodging
or frolicking at the hotel but met superior firepower by the
police who engaged them in a shoot out.
After over 30 minutes of gun duel, with the hoodlums not getting
near their target, and more police reinforcement coming from
the nearby PMF barrack, the hoodlums fled, but not without
visiting a nearby supermarket which was still open for business
at that time.
The attack led to the demolition Monday of all illegal structures
around the hotel premises especially makeshift containers
used by black market currency operators and believed to have
provided cover for the hoodlums.
More than 40 foreign oil workers have been kidnapped since
January, with around 15 abducted in the past two weeks. Ten
of them have been released while five, an American, a Briton,
a German, an Irishman and a Lebanese construction worker are
still in captivity.
An unidentified caller demanded a ransom in exchange for the
release of the Lebanese captive but the man's employers, Homan
Engineering Company, said it would not bow to blackmail.
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