Troops kill boatman, recover sack of rifles in Bayelsa

Yenagoa— Two persons, who were allegedly in possession of a sack of rifles, were reportedly shot dead last Thursday at the riverside town of Polaku in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State by soldiers attached to Operation Delta Safe. According to sources, the deceased boat driver, fondly called Mike, was approached by some boys suspected to be pirates to ferry them to Igbedi community in Kolokuma-Opukuma Local Government Area to retrieve a consignment. The boat driver, it was learned, was unaware that rifles were concealed in the sack. Sources claimed that the suspects were shot dead on arrival at the jetty with the boat driver jumping into the river, while shouting out his innocence, but was shot by the soldiers. An eyewitness said: “We (indigenes) were surprised by the arrival of some patrol team of soldiers at Polaku Waterfront. When they arrived, they took positions. Upon sighting the boat, they opened fire. “We suspected that the soldiers acted on a tip-off. But we were worried that the boat driver was shot instead of being arrested. Some arrests were also made in the process and they recovered the sack of rifles.” Attempts to get the comment of the spokesman of Operation Delta Safe ODS, Lt.-Col Laolu Daudu, proved abortive as his line was not going through.