At the end of over three hours of gun battle between the police and gunmen believed to be pirates at the site of an oil rig belonging to Lone Star Drilling Company in Gbarain in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, five of the hoodlums were felled by the superior power of the law enforcement officers while several others were said to have escaped with bullet wounds.
During the fight, some security agents were also said to have sustained minor injuries, and were said to have been treated in an undisclosed health institutions across the state.
It was learnt that the pirates stormed the rig, operated by Lone Star Drilling Company at about 2am on the fateful day, and immediately opened fire on the facility, according to a security agent who participated in the battle.
“Their main target was to remove the weapons attached to a gunboat used for protecting the rig. They wanted to steal the guns in the boat”.
However, nemesis caught up with them when the police, who were alerted by the noise of their boat as they approached, replied them with a number of gun shots, which led to the death of the five while others fled with bullet wounds.
Shooting, was however, sustained until they repelled the attack.
“All l can tell you is that some of the pirates must have been hit by the police bullets. They were in the river and it is believed that those who were hit must have fallen into the river. It is expected that their bodies would float after two days”, he said.
He added: “The pirates had come with the intention to remove the weapons, very sophisticated ones, on the gunboat.
“They came with generator and electric filing which they intended to be used to remove the weapons, if they had succeeded in their operation. Unfortunately, they were repelled by the policemen guarding the rig.
“In fact, I was proud of the way the police were able to repel them. I think that this will send a signal to others that it is no longer business as usual.”
But it was learnt that despite reported killing of some of the bandits, the hoodlums reinforced and came back at about 6am.
The policemen, who were said to have remained vigilant, engaged them in another round of gun duel, and forced them out of the area.
When contacted, Bayelsa Police Commissioner, Hilary Opara, confirmed the incident.
Opara said the pirates had attacked the rig at Gbarain with the intention of cutting the chain used to secure the gunboat to the rig.
He said if they had succeeded, they would have stolen the gunboat and eventually removed the police guns.
The commissioner said the incident took place at odd hours of Wednesday, adding that the suspected pirates who came in a speedboat, first opened fire on his men.
Okpara who could not say whether there was any causality or not, said that, “If such happened, in no distant time, their bodies would surely float on the waters”.
“The pirates came with electric filing and a generator. Their aim of coming with those tools was to use the electric filing to fire the machine that would be used to severe the chain used for securing the gunboat to the rig.
“Unfortunately, the policemen attached to the rig were there. After serious exchange of fire, the pirates abandoned the rig. The pirates again came back around 6 am, probably thinking our men had gone. When they sighted our men, they ran back and some swam in the river to escape,” he said.

L-R: Senator Magnus Abe, Rivers State Deputy Governor, Engr Tele Ikuru, and state Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC) Chief Davies Ikanya during the inauguration of the party’s committees in Port Harcourt. Photo: Ibioye Diama