Palpable tension has gripped the Bayelsa waterways after pirates at separate incidents killed four policemen and abducted six other persons in Nembe waters, Nembe Local Government Area on Friday.
Credit: vanguard
It was gathered that the gunmen also seized a gunboat belonging to the Nigeria Police in an incident that occurred at about 1.30pm on the fateful day.
The gunboat was said to be escorting a barge owned by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) when it came under attack.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, who operated on a speedboat, laid ambush for the gunboat and opened fire on the policemen.
They were said to have overpowered the police, killed and pushed them into the water and took control of the gunboat.
It was learnt that the incident which occurred along Santa Barbara and Nembe waterways caused panic among travelers.
The development was said to have delayed the movement of persons travelling to Okpoama in Brass Local Government Area, for the funeral of the uncle of a former governor of the state, Tmipre Sylva.
Most of the guests for the burial were said to have waited at Ogbia jetty till after the gunmen finished their operation.
A security source who pleaded anonymity said the hoodlums were not interested in the Agip barge and its occupants.
He, however, said three policemen and the gunboat operator were killed after the gunmen hijacked the boat.
He identified the boat driver as a civilian, adding that the bodies of the policemen had since been recovered.
He revealed, “Policemen escorting Agip barge were attacked on Friday. The gunboat and the policemen were all taken away. The policemen were three including the driver of the boat making them four. The barge and its occupants escaped, because the gunboat was the target of the pirates. This incident happened along Santa Barbara and Nembe route at about 1.30pm. The pirates were after the gunboat and the arms.”
In a separate incident, six persons working for a company identified as Icon Xearex, an oil servicing firm, have been abducted at Oluasiri in Nembe.
It was gathered that the pirates attacked a boat owned by the company in the early hours of Friday and took the workers away.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in state, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, said he was in Abuja for a program and could not comment on the incident.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Valentine Ntomchukwu, when reached for comment, claimed to be in a meeting.
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