Two Persons Allegedly Killed By Pirates In Bayelsa State

At least two people have been allegedly killed by gunmen suspected to be sea pirates inside a boat on the Ogbia-Nembe waterways in Bayelsa state.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN , one of the victims was of the attack, Awotimigha Iyabi, was an aide to a former commissioner in Bayelsa, while the second victim was yet to be identified.

Iyabi was a personal assistant to Chief Nathan Egba, a former Commissioner for Information.

It was gathered that three persons, Alfred Belemote, a politician and his police escort, and the boat driver survived the attack.

According one of the surviving passengers of the boat, the boat ran into a robbery operation and was trapped in gunshots from the gunmen.

Whiling confirming the attack, Egba informed that he had led friends of the deceased on a condolence visit to the family of his former aide and expressed shock at the attack.

He also described the deceased as a non-violent and gentleman.

The spokesman of the Bayelsa Police Command, Alex Akhigbe, also confirmed the incident, adding that details of the incident were not immediately available.

It is true that two persons died in the attack, Akhigbe said.

According to survivors of the pirate attack, six gunmen attacked the speedboat conveying the deceased and four others from Nembe area of Bayelsa. They added that the gunmen were operating along the waterway, dispossessing boat passengers of cash and valuables.

Our boat ran into the robbery operation and we were trapped by gunshots from the gunmen, said one survivor.

One survivor claimed that the pirates must have laid ambush for the ex-political aide. I heard the pirates shout, He is not here, he is in the second boat, he said, adding that it indicated an assassination motive.

Our sources said the gunmen had stopped one of the two speedboats in the convoy of the politician, adding that the firepower from thepoliceman on the boat was not able to deter the six pirates operation.

Nathan Egba, Bayelsas former Commissioner for Information and Orientation, confirmed the tragic incident. Mr. Egba, who led friends of the deceased on a condolence visit to the family of his former aide, expressed shock at the attack and described the deceased as a non-violent and gentle man.

Alex Akhigbe, a spokesman of the Bayelsa police command, said that the police had been notified about the attack, but added that details of the pirate attack were not yet ready.

Pirates attacks are not new in Bayelsa State as many people are recorded annually to have been killed as a result of attacks perpetrated by pirates.