Nigerian soldier ‘killed’ in Bayelsa by suspected oil thieves

A Nigerian soldier has reportedly been killed in Bayelsa State, Nigeria’s South-south, by gunmen suspected to be oil thieves.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the soldier, who was on surveillance duty, was gunned down on Monday afternoon and his AK-47 rifle taken away, in Apoi Community, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

The killing, according to NAN, occurred in the bush between the boundary of Apoi and Azuzuama communities, where there is an oil pipeline.

The leadership of the Apoi Clan in Southern Ijaw have condemned the killing, describing it as “barbaric and inhuman”.

Fidelis Duba, a community leader in Apoi Clan, said the killing of the soldier was capable of provoking retaliation from the military.

Mr Duba, who vowed that the clan would work with security agencies to fish out those responsible for the killing, called on hoodlums operating in the Apoi Creek and other areas to desist from their nefarious activities.

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The police spokesperson in Bayelsa State, Butswat Asinim, a superintendent of police, declined comment on the incident. He advised PREMIUM TIMES to contact the army.

The spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, 16 Brigade in Yenagoa, Tonye Wenke, declined comment, saying the Directorate of Defence Media Operations ”was in a better position to speak on the incident”.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how some oil thieves recently abducted a civil defence operative during an attack on the security agency in Bayelsa.

(NAN)