Pirates Kill Six Policemen In Bayelsa State

Six policemen who were kidnapped over the weekend by dare-devil pirates operating along the creeks and waterways of the Niger Delta have been killed,

The policemen, who were among the 12 persons kidnapped in separate operations in Embe area of Bayelsa, were stripped naked with their rifles and uniforms taken away along with their gunboat.

The bodies of the slain policemen, yet to be identified at the time of filing this report, have been recovered and deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, it was also learnt.

It was gathered that the pirates had made away with a gunboat belonging to the police, in an attack which occurred in broad daylight, at about 1.30pm on Friday. The gunboat was said to have been escorting a barge owned by 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 policemen and later took control of the gunboat along Santa Barbara and Nembe waterways caused panic among travelers.

The incident also caused a delay in the movement of persons travelling to Okpoama, Brass Local Government Area, for the funeral of former Governor Timipre Sylva’s uncle. Most of the guests for the burial were said to have waited at Ogbia jetty till the gunmen had finished their operation.

A security source who pleaded anonymity said the hoodlums were not interested in the Agip barge and its occupants.

“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 police arms.”

In a separate incident, the source confirmed that six persons working for a company identified as Icon Xearex were abducted at Oluasiri in Nembe. He said the pirates attacked a boat owned by the company in the early hours of Friday and took the workers away. According to him, the company is suspected to be an oil-servicing firm.

“There was another incident at Oluasiri. As a matter of fact six persons were kidnapped. They were in a boat called Icon Xeareax. Six persons were abducted from the boat belonging to that company. The company is suspected to be an oil-servicing company”, he said.

All efforts to confirm the incident from the police proved abortive as the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, said he was in Abuja for a programme. Also, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Valentine Ntomchukwu, sent a message, claiming to be in a meeting