• As Militants kill two soldiers, 5 others in boat house attack
• Threatens to launch 6 missiles in Niger Delta

Stephanie Linus’ award winning movie, DRY, recently made a debut in Gambia with a well-attended screening during the African Youth Summit Banjul Plus 10. The movie was not only greeted with a standing ovation, but also further opened up relevant discussions on issues of maternal health care and Fistula in Africa.

DRY is currently on an African tour and will be showing in several countries in the coming weeks.

A distinguished audience which included the Vice President of Gambia, Dr Isatou Njie Saidy; UNFPA Regional Director for West & Central Africa, Mr Mabingue Ngom; Assistant Minister for Youth Liberia, Ms. Kula Fonfana and many others enjoyed the presentation.

The summit was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to capture the creative, innovative and pro-active voices of African youth and utilize these voices as a tool to encourage decision makers to address the myriad issues young people on the continent face. It focused on discussions around reinforcing implementation of the policy frameworks in Africa and their pivotal role in harnessing the youth potentials to attain the Demographic Dividend and Africa’s inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Inspired by the true story of a young girl living with Vesico Vaginal Fistula, DRY features Darwin Shaw as Dr. Alex, the legendary Liz Benson Ameye as the Matron and Bill McNamara as Dr. Brown. The movie also stars Zubaida Ibrahim as Halima, the teenager who had to endure a life not designed for a child: to be married to a man who was more than four times her age.

This screening comes just a few weeks after Stephanie Linus premiered DRY in Zambia at an event which was attended by the Zambian First Lady, Mrs Esther Lungu.

In the meantime, militants have attacked a military house boat at Ejere Junction, a creek in Warri South council area of Delta State, killing seven people, including two soldiers.

The killings have heightened the tension in the oil-rich Niger Delta where oil facilities have been attacked. Nigeria’s output has been badly affected.

The Nation gathered that five boats, loaded with heavily armed insurgents, stormed an isolated boat house, located inside the creek around Omadino, an Itsekiri community, at about 8:00pm and opened fire on the occupants, killing all those onboard, except a civilian, who reportedly died on the way to the hospital.

There was no claim of responsibility for the Wednesday attack.

A community source said the attack happened at about 8:00pm. He said all occupants of the boat, whom he thought to be soldiers, were killed.

“An army security house boat was attacked and all the security men inside were killed last night at Omadino, by pipeline, here. This happened around 8 in the evening,” he said.

Another source, from one of the military formations in Warri said those in the house boat were not all soldiers. There were civilians, who rendered various types of services aboard.

A military source from Warri, who confirmed the development, told The Nation that two soldiers and five civilians died in the attack. He said most of the men stationed at the house boat had gone on pipeline patrol when the attackers came.

According to the source, although outnumbered by the assailants, the soldiers who were left on the boat when the attackers came gave their best, ensuring that the assailants did not leave without a bloody nose.

He said: “The report is true. They came in five speed boats. They were many and, unfortunately, when they got there, some of the soldiers were on pipelines patrol. When the attackers got there, the man on sentry did his best, but, unfortunately, because of their number they opened fire to kill the civilians inside the house boat. There were four civilians and two soldiers, making six.

“The seventh person, who happened to be a civilian, was rushed to Oghara (the Delta State University Teaching Hospital). Getting to Oghara, they found out that the hospital was on strike. Before he could be rushed back to Warri, his situation had deteriorated. You know the distance between Warri and Oghara; that was how he gave up the ghost.

“Our people also got some of them down, but as they wouldn’t like to leave any of their casualties behind, we can’t ascertain, but the soldiers tried their best in reducing their number”, the source said.

The Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Benin, Captain Jonah Unuakhalu, in a statement, said two soldiers were killed, one injured, another one missing and four civilians rendering services on the house boat, were also killed.

“At about 5:50pm on 1 June 2016, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) Houseboat deployed at Ejere junction in Warri South Local Government Area was attacked by suspected armed militants group. The suspected militants approached the Houseboat in five (5) speed boats mounted with 250 horse power engines and disguised as normal commuters. During the deliberate attack, two soldiers were killed, one wounded, one soldier missing while four civilian officials attached to the house boat were shot dead. The attack occurred when other members of the troops were on pipeline patrol.

“The Brigade condemns the attack on our personnel carrying out their constitutional duties and other innocent employee. The Brigade will not be deterred by such dastardly acts, but will remain resolute in discharging its constitutional duties. Furthermore, those who carried out the criminal acts will surely be sought, apprehended and brought to justice,” the army spokesman said.

At the Warri Central Hospital, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mrs. Success Obere, confirmed that the bodies of some military men and civilians were brought to the morgue, but could not give the exact number.

It was, however confirmed that three soldiers and four civilians were dopsited at the morgue.

A student of Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, Richard Ebiayaidou, was mourning his 26 years old brother, Tombra Iwoboibi who he said, was a cook in the house.

In addition, a consolidated group of militants under the aegis of Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF) on Thursday threatened to launch six missiles in the Niger Delta region.

The group said it would commence the testing of its six missiles which would last for three days on June 7.

Though it did not disclose the nature of the missiles, it warned that no airplanes should fly in and out of the country within the period, claiming that the weapons were capable of hitting any object despite its size.

It said its fighters trained for that purpose had already arrived the region with its foreign partners through what it described as the country’s porous borders. The group in an electronic statement said it took the decision to further wreck havoc in the region in a meeting attended in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, by its commanders.

The militant group said Bayelsa State not Delta State is the command base of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and warned the Commissioner of Information and Orientation in Bayelsa, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite to stop criticizing NDA.

The group in the statement which repeatedly referred to President Muhammadu Buhari as “Pharoh”, said the highest organ of JNDLF, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) concluded that the launching of the missiles would signal its readiness for the final breakup of the country.

Additional report from Nation and Citizen