Pirates kill two civilians attending funeral in Bayelsa

Fresh facts have emerged that the suspected sea pirates who murdered an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in an ambush in Bayelsa State, also killed two civilians in a separate attack.
It was learnt on Monday that shortly after their encounter with the operatives of the NSCDC last Friday, the pirates killed two persons who were reportedly
heading for Agbobiri community in Southern Ijaw area of the state for a funeral.
A security source, who did not want his name in print, confirmed that the incident occurred after the gunmen had ambushed the operatives who were coming back from a surveillance duty in the Southern Ijaw community.
The source said the bodies of the unidentified civilians had been recovered and deposited in a morgue in the area.
The security source, who condemned constant attacks on the state waterways by pirates, militants and sea robbers, appealed to the security agencies to intensify their efforts to curb the trend and restore maritime security.
The operatives from the anti-vandal unit of the NSCDC who went to the creeks to check oil installations in the area were surprisingly attacked by the sea pirates resulting in the death of one of the civil defenders.
It was also learnt that the deceased was an indigene of Okodi in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.
Some divers were said to have recovered the body of the deceased NSCDC operative.
The state Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu, confirmed the killing of one of his men.
Agu described the attack as unfortunate and restated the commitment of his command in protecting all critical assets of the government against saboteurs.
He said the killers would not go unpunished, adding that his operatives gave a good account of themselves in spite of the surprise attack.
He asked criminals operating in the creeks to desist from their criminalities or leave the state, stressing  that the command was highly determined and motivated to deal with them.