Militants kill 2 MOPOL in
Bayelsa
By FEMI FOLARANMI, Yenagoa
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Unidentified gunmen suspected to be militants, on Sunday
morning, attacked a Mobile Police camp in Okiki, Ogbia Local
Government Area of Bayelsa State and killed two policemen,
carting away their rifles.
The attacked mobile policemen were said to belong to the anti-bunkering
unit of the Bayelsa State Police Command.
The news of the death of the policemen has already thrown
the entire Bayelsa State Police Command into mourning, while
the top hierarchy of the command met in Yenagoa to appraise
the situation.
The gunmen, suspected to be those involved in bunkering, were
said to have engaged the policemen in a gun duel so as to
continue to carry out their illegal activities.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) said the Commissioner
of Police was expected to brief the press about the incident.
The Commandant of the Joint Military Task Force, Lt. Col.
Chris Musa, confirmed the incident and said he is waiting
for police briefing before his men could swing into action.
The Niger Delta Peace and Conflict Reconciliation Committee,
in a statement, condemned the attack, describing it as act
perpetrated by unknown gunmen. The Chairman of the Committee,
Chief James Jephthah, while also confirming the incident,
however, ruled out the possibility that the act was carried
out by militants.
According to him, the militants in the state are currently
engaged in helping the government identify and report cases
of sea-piracy and pipeline vandals.
Jephthah explained that though his committee had not been
able to identify the perpetrators but insisted that no militant
group in Bayelsa State would want to carry out such attacks
against any government security agency, considering the existing
working relationship they have with the state government.
He said criminals could easily take advantage of the prevailing
peace in the state to commit crimes that could be linked to
militancy, stressing that sea-pirates, armed robbers and pipeline
vandals are equally capable of attacking government security
agents.”
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