The Bayelsa Killing of JTF Officers

Daily Trust

15 March 2012

The Bayelsa Killing of JTF Officers

 editorial

A senior army officer and three naval ratings were gunned down in the Nembe and Brass creeks in Bayesla State recently. Their murderers were suspected militants in the Niger Delta region.

In the last couple of years since the amnesty programme to persuade militants to lay down their arms and embrace dialogue came into force, there has been sporadic outbreak of violence and attacks targeting security personnel. But the latest episode demonstrates that there is still a lot to be done to deal with such criminal conduct. The soldiers were attacked and killed on March 2, the same day that four marine policemen were shot dead at a check point in the state. The remains of the soldiers were recovered five days after the attack, the deadliest in recent times in the region. The violent group Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility; the military Joint Task Force operating in the region said the attack was carried out by 'a gang of sea pirates' led by one Shedrack Itokofuwei, alias 'Mammy Water', who was also killed in the operation. Mammy Water was a protégé of former militant leader, Victor Ebikabowei Ben, alias Boyloaf.