Militants had on August 28 ambushed a military houseboat and killed a soldier and civilian crew, even as gunmen, last Friday, attacked an oil service vessel killing the three security men on board.
It was gathered that the pirates trailed the passenger boat after it had dropped its occupants in Brass from Nembe before hijacking the boat.
Community sources who witnessed the incident said the suspected pirates who were armed with sophisticated weapons shot sporadically into the air before seizing the boat.
The driver of the boat and his crewmen were later dropped off at the creeks while the boat was taken to an unknown destination.
Chairman of the Bayelsa state Chapter of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria Lloyd Sese who confirmed the incident said that pirates activity on the waterways has made life unbearable.
Sese said that the union had appealed to relevant authorities to come to the aid of commuters on the waterways saying that the attack on boats have become a frequent affair.
A youth leader from Brass Local Government Area, Mr Robert Desmond condemned the incessant sea pirate attacks on the Nembe-Brass waterways.
Desmond described the act as not only senseless but inhuman and wondered why a group of Bayelsa youths should be terrorising their own people.
In another development, raging inferno at a field operated by Consolidated Oil Company (Conoil) feared to have been caused by the activities of militants has inflicted injuries on two oil workers at the Akassa coastal community in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.
It was gathered that relatives of the victims were terrified as they feared the possibility of their sons surviving a second degree burnt by the raging inferno.
The outbreak of the fire happened early in the morning at the oil rig operated by the indigenous oil firm at Akassa coastal community.
Community sources near the oilfield and security sources said the fire was caused by an electrical fault, which caused colossal damage.
When contacted, State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Asinim Butswat said the Police was aware of the incident but had sketchy information which was yet to be put together.
“The enormity of the fire hampered initial rescue efforts and it is expected in an oil and gas environment, but the emergency response systems were activated in the facility and the fire was put out.
“However two of the casualties who sustained injuries in the incident were rescued and have been stabilised and getting medical attention.
“The facility has been shut down and the area is calm, “ the source said.
Another security source in the area confirmed the fire incident and allayed fears that it was a militant attack.
“The fire incident is an operational mishap and has nothing to do with militants so it is within the operational levels in the company and they are currently assessing the damage done by the fire,” the source said.
When contacted, State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Asinim Butswat said the Police was aware of the incident but had sketchy information which was yet to be put together.
Efforts to get a reaction from the management of Conoil to ascertain the volume of production affected by the incident was unsuccessful, as they were yet to unravel what went wrong that triggered the wild inferno.
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