Some pirates were feared
killed on Wednesday in a gun battle with police in  Bayelsa State. It was learnt that the pirates numbering five had attacked the policemen guarding Gbarain oil rig in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
The pirates were said to have stormed the rig owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company but operated by Lone Star Drilling Company about 2am on  Wednesday.
A community source, who gave his name only as Preye, said as soon as the suspected pirates approached the Shell facility, they opened fire as they thought the policemen guarding the rig might have slept.
He said their main target was to remove the weapons attached to a gunboat used for protecting the rig. The source, however, said the policemen on duty, who had taken strategic positions, fired a volley of bullets and they were repelled.
He said, “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 use 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 will send signal to others that it is no longer business as usual.”
It was also gathered that despite the fact that some of the pirates were feared killed, those who managed to escape the 2am onslaught had allegedly come back with
another set as reinforcements at 6 am, but the policemen, who were still on duty, engaged them in another round of gun duel, forcing the pirates to abandon the rig.
When contacted, Bayelsa Police Commissioner, Hilary Opara confirmed the incident, adding that  the pirates had attacked the rig at Gbarain with the intention of severing the chain used to secure the gunboat to remove the Neapons on the gunboat.
Opara added, “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. But the policemen attached to the rig were there. After serious exchange of fire, the pirates abandoned the rig. They 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.”