Soldiers, Militants In Fresh Clash In Rivers

Soldiers, Militants In Fresh Clash In Rivers

THE Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday in an on-line statement by their Spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, claimed that they successfully repelled a military attack in one of their camps in Rivers State.

But, a superior operative of the Joint Task Force (JTF) claimed in an interview with our correspondent in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that the insurgent group was economical with the truth. ''Nothing like that happened. It is a mere propaganda stunt'', the Army Captain who did not want his name on print said.

The official Spokesman of the JTF for Operation Flushout 3 operating in Rivers, Lt.-Col Saqir Musa, could not be reached at press time for comment. Also speaking, the Spokesperson of the police in the state, Mrs. Rita Inoma-Abbey, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) told our correspondent that they were not aware of such incident.

''There is nothing in our records to show that there was such a clash'', she said.

MEND however, is claiming that at about 0700Hrs, on Thursday, February 26, 2009, the Nigerian military attacked one of their minor camps around the Ke River in Rivers state with three gunboats.

According to the insurgent group, ''the camp commander called for reinforcement and the gunboats were repelled with over six soldiers killed and three fighters wounded on our side.

''The attack on a civilian helicopter in Bayelsa state should be a warning to the oil industry that its helicopters used in moving soldiers to oppress civilian protesters in oil communities have become legitimate targets in the region with the exception of medical evacuation and UN helicopters''.

ENDS

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