- Militants kill four Naval ratings, two others in Bayelsa
Unfolding indication is to the effect that Nigerians are gradually getting tired of the nation’s ongoing trials of alleged looters with no major keyplayers, ever convicted.
The observation came as the country’s anti-graft body the EFCC again dragged former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to court over another running charges put at over N795m fraudulently paid to himself and a few others.
A haulage operator, Rafiu Eniafe said for a conservative person like him, he like several others like him were seriously losing interest.
“Look, we are getting tired of this allegations of one fraud after another. They tell us stories of mind boggling looting on daily basis, without a single conviction being achieved. How do we hail any hunters for catching a thief, if he can’t take him to Palace square?” he asked.
Ironically, the same sentiment was expressed on a Lead City Radio program on Tuesday morning (8.24am), while the papers were being read.
Meanwhile, an Assistant Director, with NIMASA, Olamide Ogunsanya, this week disclosed to the court, how the sum of 795,200,000 Naira was paid into the International Shipping and Port Safety (ISPS), account and how the same amount was tampered with.
The Assistant Director also indicated that the approval for the disbursement of the money came from the office of Mr Akpobolokemi.
According to revelation made before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, via documents now admitted as exhibits P24 and P25, against Patrick Akpobolokemi and five others.
At the resumed hearing, the witness guided by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, presented one of the three witnesses he earlier brought before the court.
The witness, Olamide Ogunsanya, an Assistant Director in NIMASA disclosed to the court, how the sum of 795,200,000 Naira was paid into the International Shipping and Port Safety (ISPS), account and how the same amount was disbursed
Another document conveying a presidential approval through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), was also submitted and admitted and same was admitted as exhibit P22.
In the meantime, six persons, including four Naval ratings attached to an oil servicing company, are feared dead in Bayelsa State following a surprise attack by suspected militants.
The incident was said to have occurred on Tuesday at the Nembe creeks in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that a senior employee of the oil servicing firm and his wife, identified simply as Mercy, were among persons reportedly gunned down by the gunmen.
While Mercy was said to have been killed on the spot, sources said the whereabouts of the ratings and the oil worker were unknown after the incident.
A security source, who spoken on condition of anonymity, described the attack as deadly, saying the gunmen took their victims by surprise.
He said the attack occurred at one of the wellheads that supply crude oil to the Nembe Flow Station which formerly belonged to the Shell Petroleum Development Company.
The source said the victims left the flow station, which was reportedly sold to an oil company, ICEO, by SPDC, to inspect the wellhead.
He said the wife of the oil worker, who came on a visit, decided to accompany her husband on the inspection tour.
“Immediately they got to the wellhead close to the flow station, some militants waylaid them, killed the woman on the spot. The whereabouts of the employee and the naval ratings are still unknown. There are indications that they have been killed by the gunmen,” the source said.
The source, a senior security officer, lamented the ongoing attacks on security personnel and military gunboats in the region.
When contacted, the spokesman for the Central Naval Command, Lt. Commander Edward Yeibo, said though there was an attack but he did not know whether the ratings were killed or not.
“What I know is that there was an attack on Tuesday morning but no casualties recorded. I am not aware of that. There was an attack on three ratings but no casualties recorded to the best of my knowledge,” he said.
On Monday, gunmen suspected to be sea pirates attacked troops of Joint Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, while patrolling the waterways at Peregbene along the Ogbia-Nembe waterways in the state.
The gunmen were said to have engaged the troops in a one-hour shootout but unfortunately for them, four of the pirates were hit by bullets from the troops’ gunboat.
However, two soldiers were injured in the gun duel.
Additional report from Punch
