Civil Defence officer, robber killed in gun battle in Bayelsa

CHINEDU WOSU YENAGOA

A gallant officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, attached to the Bayelsa State command, and a suspected armed robber, have been killed in a gun battle.

It was learnt that the incident took place along Kolo Creek in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday.

A gang of suspected armed robbers operating in the area was said to have laid an ambush for a patrol van of the NSCDC operatives.

The robbers, it was learnt, reportedly laid ambush for the Civil Defence officials after allegedly attacking a police checkpoint along the road.

The robbers were said to have caught the policemen off guard and disarmed the cops at about 12:24am before engaging the Civil Defence personnel..

A security source, who did not want to be quoted, claimed that the suspected armed robbers caught the policemen off guard and succeeded in forcing them to surrender their weapons.

The source said the robbers made away with about three Ak47 rifles and several rounds of ammunition belonging to the Police.

He said, “When they escaped from the scene, they sighted a security patrol van manned by operatives of the NSCDC and hid in the bush. When the van approached, they opened fire on it killing one of the Corps’ operatives.

”But the operatives fired back at the hoodlums and gunned down one of the armed robbers while others escaped .’

It was gathered that the remains of the slain armed robber with his pump action rifle were recovered by the Civil Defence personnel and brought to their headquarters in Yenagoa.

They reportedly handed it over to the state Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu.

When contacted, Agu confirmed that armed robbers laid ambush for a patrol van of the Corps and killed one of the operatives.

He, however, praised his men for fighting back and overpowering them with their superior gunfire resulting in the killing of one of the robbers.

Agu, however, said he was not aware of the attack on a Police checkpoint, noting that he had handed over the riffle and the corpse of the killed robber to the state  Police command.

Effort to speak with the spokesman for the Bayelsa Police Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, proved abortive as his mobile phone did not connect after several attempts to call him.
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