Pirates kill 4 soldiers, policeman in Bayelsa

The Bayelsa Police Command said on Saturday that four soldiers and a policeman were killed in an attack on Nembe waterways by armed gunmen, suspected to be pirates.

The command’s spokesman, Mr Asinim Butswat, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa that the Joint Task Force (JTF) base at Nembe came under attack on Friday’s night.

“On August 7, 2015, at about 11:30p.m., four speedboats loaded with gunmen, suspected to be sea pirates attacked the Joint Task Force (JTF) base, at Nembe Water Front, in Nembe LGA.

“They killed four soldiers and one policeman. The gunmen carted away two HP guns and other arms from the base.

“A combined team of the JTF, Marine Police and the Navy are combing the creeks to recover the arms and arrest the culprits,” Butswat said.

When contacted, Lt.-Col. Isa Ado, Media Coordinator of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, confirmed that the attack by suspected sea pirates on JTF.

Ado, however, said that the casualty figures and loss of arms and ammunitions were yet to be ascertained