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Nigeria: Five Corpses Found in Nembe Creeks
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This Day (Lagos)
22 July 2008
Posted to the web 22 July 2008
Segun James
Yenagoa
The search for the bodies of soldiers killed last week along the Nembe Creeks at Obioku community in Bayelsa State may have yielded dividends.
Yesterday, five yet- to-be-identified corpses were found floating along the Nembe Creeks, according to security sources.
The five are believed to be among the seven persons, including three soldiers, killed by a yet-to-be-identified militant group last week.
The sources said they wanted to be sure the corpses were those of the soldiers and the four civilians killed on the ill-fated passenger boat before making statements.
If the corpses are not those of the soldiers and the civilians, the sources said that would suggest more persons were killed on the boat or that another killing took place in the area.
But according to the sources, the corpses notwithstanding, the military would intensify the search for the dead soldiers and civilians who were said to be on a covert mission to strongholds of militants when they were killed.
Confirming the discovery, the Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the state, Lt-Col Chris Musa, said he had dispatched his men to confirm the identities of the corpses.
JTF had last week raised an alarm that four of its men could not be accounted for after an incident in which a commercial boat they were travelling in was attacked by unknown militia around Obioku community in the Nembe Creeks.
Following a siege laid on the community by soldiers, the leaders of Obioku promised to assist JTF in the search for the missing men who were on off-duty pass and travelling in mufti to Yenagoa, the state capital.
Meanwhile, the search for the bandits that invaded the Sagbama Police Station and killed a police inspector has been intensified
The inspector was killed during an attempt to loot the armoury of the police station by the bandits.
The effrontery of the bandits led to a two-hour battle with the police during which the bandits were forced to beat a retreat into the waterways.
The chaotic situation caused by the heavy gun battle forced the Sagbama Local Government Council boss, Mr. Koku Gariga, to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew to prevent a breakdown of law and order in the area.
Also, the Action Congress (AC) in Bayelsa State has cried out over the spate of criminality in the state, and has therefore called on the state government to do something about it before the situation goes beyond control.
In a statement by its state's Secretary, Mr. Miriki Ebikibina, the party lamented that the multiple attacks in the last few days called for concern and vigilance.
"The ugly incidents are sad, worrisome and threats to the existing calm and relative peace of the state.
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"We call for a strengthened combined police and soldiers patrol to beef up security in Sagbama. We call on the chairman to review the curfew as normalcy returns to the local government," the party said.
About a week ago, I opined that it is impossible to go into the creeks and spy on the "Boys" for several reasons. Unless the government wants to clear the whole Riverine areas with some "agent orange" there is no way to solve this mattter millitarily without lots of colelateral damage. The problems require a "Marshall Operation" type of development of the Riverine areas. It is a "Bread and Butter" approach and not a " Stick and Carrot" approach. Yrs Phillip Kientimi Owi(Prof-Math-Miami)
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