No Police Casualties In Bayelsa Gunboat Attack, Police Claims

gunboat

The alleged killing of two persons in Saturday’s gun attack on police patrol personnel during an investigation visit to the riverside Peremabiri community, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, has been denied by the Bayelsa State Police Command.

The command admitted that the policemen deployed with two gun boats were on their way to the community on a rescue mission of seven members of the family of an ex-militant leader, Eris Paul, known as Ogunboss, and were fired at, but said the police team did not record any casualty.

In a statement released in Yenegoa, the Bayelsa State capital, spokesman of the Police Command, Mr. Alex Akhigbe said the reported killing of two in the shoot-out in the media was misleading and a calculated attempt to misinform members of the public and bring the Nigeria Police to disrepute.

Akhigbe insisted that there was no shootout between the police and the armed men as claimed.

“We tactfully withdrew to avoid any confrontation that could have led to loss of life. It is therefore, unthinkable for anybody to say that two persons died in the attack.

“We would like to place on record that two gun boats deployed to Peremabiri were not meant to escort Ogunboss, as claimed by the reporters, but were rather, on a mission to rescue seven members of Ogunboss’ family attacked and driven out of the community by some armed youths of the community and to maintain peace which is our primary responsibility,” Akhigbe said.