By Joy Emmanuel Yenagoa
Troops of Joint Military Task Force, Operation Delta Safe, yesterday killed four suspected bandits in a gun duel during an attack on a military house boat. Commander, OPDS, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, disclosed this at a press conference at the command headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state. Represented by the Deputy Force Commander/Land Component Commander, Brig.- Gen. Kevin Aligbe, he said that four soldiers were injured while unnamed civilian also died in the shoot-out between the troops and the bandits. He said the deceased was a boat driver, adding: ”Some faceless criminals attacked our troops deployed to Tuma House Boat in Rivers state about 4.30am yesterday.
”Th e bandits were repelled by vigilant troops and four of them lost their lives. Other bandits suff ered heavy casualties, while a few of them ran into an adjoining creek. ”Eff orts are ongoing to fi sh them out and ascertain the actual numbers of the criminals killed during the duel. ”Unfortunately, four soldiers were injured while one civilian died. Let me reiterate that the OPDS will do everything within the law to crack down on these criminals and their sponsors wherever they are”, he added Suleiman also expressed regrets over militants’ attack on troops on duties on July 13 at Ogbouabagbene community in Bomadi local government area of Delta state, resulting in the death of a soldier. ”Th e miscreants, using the cover of darkness, opened fi re on our troops and killed a soldier, injured a personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and a Policeman. Th e criminals in the process carted away some equipment,” he said
