Kills three notorious sea robbers
• Navy arrests vessel with overloaded tonnes of diesel
The military yesterday said some militants and criminals in the Niger Delta region were now surrendering their arms and ready to embrace amnesty.
In an interview with journalists in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the coordinator of the Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC), Lt. Col. Olaolu Dauda said information from Sector 4 in Cross River State indicated that Bakassi Strike Force (BSF) militants led by Benjamin Ene had expressed their willingness to lay down their arms.
This came as troops of the outfit on Tuesday confirmed the killing of two notorious sea pirates and a militant leader in Lobia community of Southern Ijaw local council of Bayelsa.
A statement by the coordinator of the JMCC said the troops attached to Sector 2 Command in the state killed the suspected sea pirates and the militant identified as Edo Boy during separate operations in the area.
Dauda further disclosed that the militants who had stated their readiness to surrender their arms had contacted the Department of State Services (DSS) in Cross River State to discuss the terms for amnesty with the relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Navy (NN) has apprehended a vessel overloaded with 600 metric tonnes (MT) of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) commonly called diesel.
The apprehended ship, MT Sea Eunice would be handed over to the appropriate authorities for investigation.In a statement yesterday in Abuja, the Director, Navy Information (DINFO) Christian Ezekobe said: “The operatives of the Navy deployed by NNS Pathfinder have arrested MT Sea Eunice for alleged involvement in illegal oil bunkering activities.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that while the vessel was supposed to load 400 metric tonnes of AGO, it was discovered that it had about 1,000 MT onboard even as the final process for loading approval was not completed. The vessel would be handed over to the relevant prosecuting agency for further action.”