Troops kill two suspected militants in Bayelsa

The Joint Military Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Delta Safe, has raided a militants’ camp in Bayelsa, killing two suspected militants in a gun duel.

A statement issued on Tuesday by Lt.-Col. Olaolu Daudu, the spokesman of Operation Delta Safe, confirmed that two of the suspected militants died in the raid.

“Troops of Sector 2 (Bayelsa) Operation Delta Safe deployed in Obama flow station acting on a tip-off by locals and a vigilance group raided a militant camp.

“One of the suspects is a notorious leader of criminals popularly known as Labista who is on security agencies’ watch list,’’ he said.

He said the gang leader had at various times engaged in high-profile kidnapping, killing of security personnel, piracy, armed robbery and other criminal activities.

“Labista and his cohorts dived into the river in a bid to escape while the raid was ongoing and was engaged by our troops.

“At the end of the operations, the bodies of two notorious criminals were found floating on water.

“They were recovered and deposited at Government Morgue. Items recovered were two single barrel guns, cutlass and four-speed boats,” the statement read in part.

He said that the Commander of Operation Delta Safe, , Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, had assured the people of the Niger Delta region of their safety and security as they go about their legitimate businesses.

Apochi encouraged them not to condone any form of sabotage, vandalism or acts of criminality because of the negative effects on the environment and economy.

The commander thanked the people for their continued support and cooperation, urging them to report any act of criminality promptly to the Joint Task Force.

He restated that Operation Delta Safe would remain focused on its mandate of checking oil theft, protecting oil and gas assets as well as providing security for legitimate economic activities.