The Nigerian military says it has
successfully averted planned attacks by the resurgent militants at oil
pipelines in parts of the Niger Delta.
The Director of Army Public Relations
said that the troops of 343 Artillery Regiment of 2 Brigade, 82 Division
of the Nigerian Army, in the early hours of Sunday morning carried out
patrol within the general area of Gulobokri and Eweleso, around Brass
area in Bayelsa State.
Usman noted that during the exercise,
the patrol team had an encounter with some armed militants in two speed
boats with intent to blow up Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) pipeline
at Gulobokri.
He said that the suspected vandals
opened fire on the patrol team and “the troops responded with
overwhelming superior firepower and as a result, the suspected criminals
sped off from the area with many of them sustaining gunshot wounds”.
He said that there was no casualty on
the patrol team, except a personnel of Nigerian Security and Civil
Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the team who sustained a gunshot
wound.
He however disclosed that the victim has since been evacuated and he is in a stable condition.
In a related development, Usman said
that another patrol team of the same unit of 82 Division Nigerian Army
on patrol to Perigbene House Boat (HB) also encountered three speed
boats suspected to be containing militants about to attack another
critical infrastructure in the area.
He said that the troops opened fire on them, killing most of them and injuring others.
“However, the casualty on militants
cannot be ascertained as it was raining heavily and the raging storm
could not allow troops to go on pursuit of the escaping criminals,” he
stated.
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