Gunmen suspected to be pirates, on Monday, invaded Anyama community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, killing two persons, injuring three others and stealing 10 speedboats. The invasion took place on the same day when the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, visited the state and said the Niger Delta is now safe.
Local sources told SaharaReporters that the suspected pirates arrived the community at about 9 pm and shot indiscriminately, causing huge panic.
Munalayefa Edwin Gibson, an indigene of the community and lawmaker in the state, said the gunmen fired shots for over 30 minutes. He added that they went away with more than 10 speedboats from the waterfront. After raiding Ayama, said local sources, the pirates stormed Ogbia Town around12: 30 pm on Tuesday.
They were said to have kidnapped one Mrs. Augusta Apaga and stole four 75-horsepower engine boats.
Mr. Gibson said the local council is in grief, especially in Anyama, where two persons were killed and three others critically injured.
He described the two incidents as senseless barbaric. The lawmaker lamented rising cases of sea piracy and kidnapping in coastal communities in the Ogbia area.
“The way and manner the merchants of evil operate is suggestive of the fact that there are collaborators in the communities acting as informants and sponsors and benefitting from the blood money.
“I sympathize with the affected communities, especially the victims and advise communities to be more vigilant and work even harder towards supplying security agencies with relevant information which is critical to tracking the suspects, ” he said
Mr. Gibson also called on security agencies to double their efforts in locating and arresting persons behind the invasions.
Mr. Asinim Butswat, a spokesman of the Bayelsa Police Command, confirmed the development and said an investigation is underway.
