Gunmen kill three JTF soldiers in Bayelsa

Members of JTF, Operation Pulo Shield
| credits: sweetcrudereports.com

Three soldiers attached to the Joint Military Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, have been ambushed and killed by gunmen operating along the waterways of Bayelsa State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the soldiers were killed on Tuesday, barely four days after the same number of JTF soldiers lost their lives in a pirate attack along Santa Barbara, in the Nembe area of the state.

In the Santa Barbara incident, which took place on Sunday, the sea robbers seized a military gunboat to escort items from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Brass terminal owned by a multinational oil company.

It was learnt that before the JTF search-and-rescue team could recover the bodies of the Brass-bound soldiers, gunmen, suspected to be sea robbers launched a fresh attack on soldiers at Azagbene in the Ekeremor Local Government Area.

It was further learnt that a boat conveying the soldiers to their routine duties in the area came under attack about 11.30am on Tuesday.

A security source, who pleaded, anonymity said after wasting the lives of the soldiers, the gunmen stole their rifles with180 ammunition.

He also said the civilian driver of the boat was not spared as he was also killed by the hoodlums.

He said, “This is a bad time for soldiers. Just four days after three soldiers whose corpses have yet to be found were killed, three more JTF soldiers were also attacked and killed in similar circumstances on Tuesday.

“The soldiers were ambushed and killed by the gunmen who made away with their rifles and ammunition. The Niger Delta, particularly the waterways in Bayelsa State is gradually returning to the dark days of militant activities. Losing six soldiers within four days is massive.”

When contacted on the development, the JTF Commander, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, did not pick his calls though his phone rang out several times.

Also, a text message sent to his mobile phone was not responded to as of press time.

However, a ranking officer of the JTF, confirmed the incident.

The officer, who did not want his name mentioned, told our correspondent that three unnamed soldiers and a civilian boat driver lost their lives.

He said they were attacked on the creeks of Azagbene, in the Ekeremor area of the state by pirates.