The police in Bayelsa State on Tuesday repelled an attack launched by suspected pirates on its gunboats killing an unspecified number of the miscreants.
The attack is coming four months after eleven policemen on escort duty were killed at Lobia II in the creek of Southern Ijaw local government areas of the state by renegade militants.
The police in Bayelsa State on Tuesday repelled an attack launched by suspected pirates on its gunboats killing an unspecified number of the miscreants.
The attack is coming four months after eleven policemen on escort duty were killed at Lobia II in the creek of Southern Ijaw local government areas of the state by renegade militants.
It was learnt that the gunboats were deployed to beef up security on the Brass Island and the creek of Southern Ijaw council area when they came under violent attack from ten heavily armed sea pirate operating in a speedboat at about 7.30pm.
The hoodlums, according to a security source, were over powered by the superior fire work of the policemen who killed some of them. Also the boat being used by the hoodlums to carry out their nefarious trade was sunk during the gunfight forcing the hoodlums to jump into the river.
"The hoodlums had thought they will over run the police patrol team as their cohorts did to the unfortunate policemen who were ambushed and killed by some renegade militants last April.
"However it was a different ball game Tuesday night as the police not only repelled the pirates attack but also killed some of them and sank the boat their boat," the source said.
Contacted, the state police public relations officer, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, DSP confirmed the incident.
He said, "what would have turned out to be another calamity was averted due to alertness of the patrol team and the preparedness of of the command to deal with acts of criminality, sea piracy and other vices."
According to him, "the gunboats were deployed to beef up security in Twon Brass, Akassa, Okpoama and Southern Ijaw local government area and were attacked between Oporoma/Oyoma waterways by a boat with about ten armed men believed to be notorious pirates who have been terrorizing our waterways.
"In the ensuing gun battle, some of the pirates were feared dead, other jumped into the river while their boat was sunk."
He enjoined members of the public to go about their normal duties saying the the police will leave no stone unturned in its quest to deal with all criminal elements in the state.
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