From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

The security situation in Bayelsa further deteriorated, yesterday, with the killing of four persons and abduction of another six by sea pirates.

Investigations revealed that among the victims are workers of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and personnel of the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps (NCDSC).

Reports indicated that the sea pirates, in separate operations, ambushed their victims along the Okoroma and Ogbokiri/Akassa waterways in Nembe and Brass Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State, respectively.   

In Nembe, three Agip workers were reportedly shot dead, while NCDSC personnel on escort duty with the oil workers were also shot for attempting to repel the attack.

One of the NCDSC personnel was confirmed dead, while two who were declared missing were later found, having escaped into the swamps with bullet wounds.

Sources said the driver of the boat, who is an indigene of Okoroma, has been declared missing and divers have been directed to search for him.

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Further findings indicated that the six oil workers kidnapped at Ogbokiri-Akassa were carrying out some maintenance work close to their platform when the sea pirates swooped on them and whisked them away.

“The Agip oil workers and their security personnel were attacked at about 6am, on Sunday, while working close to a Manifold in Bayelsa. There were no security personnel with them when the incident happened,” a source said.

Spokesman of the NSCDC, Bayelsa command, ASC1 Ogbere Solomon, who confirmed that a personnel of the command died in the ambush, disclosed that two of its men who were missing had been found and were receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, in Yenagoa, the State capital.

Also speaking on the incident, the youth president of the Okoroma Clan, Mr Tarinyu Joseph, disclosed that the people of the community had mobilised and recovered the corpses of those killed and taken those injured to the hospital.

He disclosed that the search party of divers were still combing the creeks in search of the driver of the boat.

The state government had recently banned the use of speed boats with 200 horsepower engines along the waterways and imposed a curfew on movements on the waterways from 7pm to 6am, as part of measures to curb the increasing wave of insecurity.

(Continued on www.sunnewsonline.com)