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Two Civilians Shot As Army, Police Clash In Bayelsa

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Two innocent passersby, on Monday, sustained fatal gunshot injuries when yet-to-be-identified military men and mobile police officers attached to the Bayelsa State Vigilante Service engaged in a gun battle over a traffic offence argument at the ever-busy Tombia-Etegwe Roundabout in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
According to an eyewitness account, the fight erupted after a soldier on mufti driving a van against traffic was said to have been accosted and ordered the soldier to step down from the van by the Bayelsa State Vigilante Service for driving against traffic laws.

It was further gathered that it was after receiving the slaps that the alleged traffic offender introduced himself as a soldier, and threatened to deal with the vigilante members and policemen at the scene.

A trader at the roundabout who spoke on condition of anonymity explained that “when they discovered that the man is a soldier they pleaded with him to let the matter go. He pretended to have accepted the apology and drove off. A few minutes later, the soldier returned with two of his colleagues.
“And this time, he was on uniform. Without any form of warning, they swooped on the policemen and started hitting them with the butt of their rifles. The fighting continued until one of the mobile policemen successfully disarmed one of the soldiers. It was at that point the other soldiers started shooting sporadically.

“We all scampered for safety. When everywhere was calm, I came out of hiding and discovered that two persons that were by the roadside had sustained fatal gunshot injuries from the shoot-out, found out that the soldier had fled the scene.”

It was learnt that the two injured civilians are currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Yenagoa, while the Bayelsa State Police Command are yet to issue a statement about the incident.

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Crime

Anambra Police Burst Gunmen Armoury in Orumba

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By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Violent Crime Response Unit of the Anambra State Police Command has uncovered and destroyed an armoury belonging to suspected separatist gunmen at Owerre-Ezukala in Orumba South Local Government Area.
The operation, led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Orebe Chidubem Matthew, followed intelligence obtained from a member of the gang currently in police custody.
In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the police disclosed that the camp had previously been dislodged by a Joint Task Force on security operations. However, some members of the gang who escaped during the earlier raid reportedly regrouped and attempted to resume operations.
According to the statement, items recovered from the armoury include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with about 2,000 rounds of live chain ammunition, two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers, 10 locally-made Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one locally-made Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, three hand grenades, 10 rounds of K2 live ammunition, one gas cylinder, and one black Ecolac box.
“Recall that the camp was earlier destroyed by a Joint Security Team. Before the confession by the suspect in custody, intelligence had been received over time on how some escaped gang members were attempting to regroup. However, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit resisted and dismantled the camp following a gun duel with the unrepentant members,” the statement read.
The police further stated that some of the armed suspects fled the scene with varying degrees of bullet injuries sustained during the exchange of gunfire.
Further investigations revealed that the suspect in custody confessed to involvement in several violent attacks across Anambra State, including attacks on police facilities, the killing of security personnel comprising police, military, and civil defence officers, attacks on government facilities, and the murder of security operatives on stop-and-search duties on various roads in the state.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, noted that with the establishment of the Violent Crime Response Unit, operatives of the command are now better positioned and more motivated to sustain offensive operations against criminal elements threatening the peace and security of the state.

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