It was also gathered yesterday, May 17, that
two members of the corps were injured in incident, which occurred on the
Snake Creek in Nembe, Nembe Local Government Area.
The gunmen were said to have sighted the patrol boat of the NSCDC and
opened fire on the operatives. But the operatives reportedly returned
fire, which killed three of the
hoodlums and forced others to flee into the creeks with gunshot wounds.
Militants operating in the state have been attacking, killing security
operatives and carting away their arms. In the past one month, over 10
soldiers and naval ratings have been killed in similar attacks.
The State NSCDC Commandant, Desmond Agu, confirmed the attacks, saying
the operatives were on patrol when they were attacked by the gunmen.
"NSCDC personnel, while on patrol on the Snake Creek within
Nembe creeks, came under heavy attack from the criminals operating in
that axis. After the ensuing gun battle, three of the assailants were
killed while the rest escaped with gunshot injuries. Two NSCDC
personnel sustained minor gunshot injuries but have been treated and
discharged from the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa." Agu said.
The NSCDC
chief said his men and the other security agencies were clamping down on
the militants responsible for series of attacks on pipelines in the
region.
"The militants cannot take over the creeks
because that’s not possible. The nation belongs to all of us. We are
talking about protecting Nigeria’s critical assets. We will make sure
that in collaboration with the other agencies, the pipelines and other
assets are protected. We are ensuring that this thing is
minimised so that Nigeria will breathe. Nigeria depends largely on oil.
On the destruction of pipelines, we are at red alert."
The
commandant said the security outfit recently arrested a man identified
as Tama Emmanuel and two others at Azuzuama for allegedly masterminding
the destruction of an Agip pipeline at Ogbounbiri-Tebidaba. He
said a coordinated massive operation at an illegal bunkering den at
Otuegwe II in Ogbia forest also led to the destruction of the site and
arrest of 15 vandals.
"Those determined to
make sure we
do not sleep, let them look for something else to do. Nothing is in the
pipelines except destruction and pollution. Right now, there are no
fish and there are no farms. They (militants) blow up pipelines and
blame everybody else. We would not be deterred by the activities of the
militants because Nigeria is bigger than individuals. The police, the
Army, Navy and others are working together. Their
attacks will not intimidate us. As a small child, it was illegal to
possess arms, even Dane guns; now, you have sophisticated weapons
everywhere." he added.
The state commandant hailed the Federal Government
for supporting NSCDC, requesting that it needed more logistics for the
Bayelsa command. Agu listed the arrest of a suspect, identified
simply as “General” Yere, who was wanted for allegedly vandalising oil
facilities at Peregbene in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and the
destruction of over 400 illegal refineries as some of the successes his
command recently recorded.
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