Military stop sea attack and arrest 5 pipeline vandals

The Joint Military Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Delta Safe has stopped an attack on a vessel heavily armed sea pirates and also arrested five suspected pipeline. Daily Trust quotes News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as reporting that Lt.-Cdr. Thomas Otuji, spokesman of the joint military force confirmed the development in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state on Sunday, October 23.

Otuji said that the suspected pipeline vandals were arrested between October 17 and 18 near some oil wellheads at Apala, off Nana Creeks in Warri South local government area of Delta state.

He said: “Troops of Operations Base 2 in Delta State, while on anti-crude oil theft patrol on Oct. 17 and 18, intercepted pipeline vandals in a large Cotonou and speed boats. “Five suspected vandals were arrested and they confessed to their plan to vandalise the wellheads. The two boats were recovered in the crackdown.

“Similarly, troops of Operation Base 2 repelled a hijack of a vessel (MT VAJARA) by heavily armed bandits in Ramos River, around Agge area of Delta State.

“The criminals were repelled after fierce exchange of fire with our troops of the maritime component.” He also said that the force recently killed some heavily armed sea pirates in Cross River and Rivers states, rescuing the victims after responding to distress calls by some travellers. Meanwhile, Vice president Yemi Osinbajo has said that the people of Niger Delta will be the end losers of the pipelines bombings and vandalism going on in the region, The Nation reports. Osinbajo made this known on Wednesday night, October 19, during the dinner organized in honour of outstanding graduands of the Presidential Amnesty Programme at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.