One soldier killed, several injured as militants attack military formation

From Ben Dunno, Warri

A deadly early-morning attack by suspected militants on a military formation at Ogbogbagbene community, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, has claimed the life of a soldier and left scores critically injured.

Daily Sun gathered that the militants’ attack, which took men and officers of the Nigerian Army in the formation by surprise, has heightened tension in the community.

A community source that spoke on the condition of anonymity said indigenes were terrified when they started hearing sporadic gunshoots around the jetty that lasted over an hour. 

Spokesman for the Joint Task Force, codenamed Operation Safe Delta, Major Abubakar Abdullahi, said he had not been furnished with details of the incident.

It was, however, gathered that the attackers, numbering about 32 and armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the military formation at about 2am in three speedboats from the creeks and the bushy route to the community. The gunmen overpowered the soldiers caught off guard.

According to one of the sources, “we heard gunshots at about 2am (yesterday) only to realise that the army formation was under siege.”

Reacting to the attack, councillor representing Tamingbe Ward 4 in the Bomadi legislative council, Hon. Angodi Akpo, appealed to security agencies, especially the army, to be more thorough in their bid to fish out those behind the incident.

According to him, this has become necessary to avoid innocent people being made to suffer for what they knew nothing about.   

His words: “The entire community is already tense by the devastating incidents that occurred early this morning (yesterday) and this has heightened fears and apprehension among indigenes, who are afraid of a possible reprisal attack on the community by the soldiers.

“I am calling for caution on the part of the Nigerian military, pleading that they use their intelligence to fish out the perpetrators of this act, who have since fled the area after the attack, rather than harassing innocent residents in the area.”