At least, two persons including a personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), have been killed and four alleged oil pipeline vandals escaped as protesters attacked a NSCDC vehicle in Delta State.
Also killed in the aggression was a driver identified as Ovie Shedrack, 32, allegedly shot to death by an operative of the Corps who was wounded while trying to prevent the escape of the four suspects they were conveying to yet-to-be disclosed location.
The incident occurred few kilometres away from the popular Christ MercyLand Deliverance Ministry along Warri-Sapele axis of oil-rich Delta State about 9am, yesterday.
Our Correspondent who visited the scene reported that relics of damaged vehicles and abandoned baggage suspected to belong to travellers littered the scene as stern-looking armed policemen positioned themselves strategically to forestall further disturbances.
It was gathered that the protesters many of whom were commercial drivers and their passengers barricaded the road resulting in a gridlock.
Their action was to draw federal government attention to alleged incessant extortion of police and NSCDC officers who conduct random stop-and-search operation on vehicles using the road.
Confirming the attack, the spokesman, NSCDC, Delta State Command Mr. Emeka Okwuechime said the anti-vandals unit of the corps had acted on a tip-off on July 11, 2022 and arrested five suspected oil pipeline vandals inside a commercial bus along Effurrun-Warri/Sapele road.
“The arrested suspects include one Jimoh Oma, Jamiu Adisa Aina who claimed to be a Lagos-based generator mechanic, Douglas Eke Rochas, a commercial tricycle rider based in Warri, Efetobore Uzi Oteri, who escaped from our custody after he was apprehended in Port-Harcourt, River State with 30,000 litres truck of crude oil stolen from a vandalised pipeline in 2021 and Jubril Hassan Isa from Kaduna State.
“The suspects have been profiled and made useful statements. Further investigation prompted their movement when our men ran into the protesters who unleashed aggression on them and four of the suspects on transit fled.
“Unfortunately we lost one of our gallant officers who investigation has revealed was hit on the head by a suspect to facilitate their escape during the attack.
“They can run but I can assure you that they can never hide. One of them is still in our custody. As I speak with you deliberate efforts have been made in synergy with the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies towards tracking them using hi tech… we are going to be very brutal and firm in dealing with them”, NSCDC spokesman said.
Our correspondent investigation also revealed that the suspects had sustained varying degrees of injuries in the custody of the NSCDC accused of using tortured to obtain statements from them.
It was further learnt that one of the suspects was not among the escapees as he has been hospitalized due to severe torture mated on him at the NSCDC facility in Delta State.
However, the corps Public Relations Officer DSC Emeka Okwuechime denied the allegation of suspects being tortured levelled against the command, describing it as criminal attempts to frustrate the ongoing onslaught against pipeline vandals in Niger-Delta region of Nigeria.
