Rivers: Marine Police confirms Military Helicopter attack on passenger boat

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4 years ago

The Officer-in-charge of the Marine Police, Bonny, SP, Solomon Adeniyi, has confirmed the alleged shooting of a cargo boat by a military helicopter at Dutch Island along the Port Harcourt-Bonny sea route.

He said his office received a report about the incident, adding that efforts were being made to get further details on the incident.

Reports have that a military helicopter allegedly shot at a wooden boat conveying foodstuffs, including rice, garri and others from Port Harcourt to Bonny.

Though details were yet to be available as at the time of this report, eyewitnesses say an unidentified military chopper descended to about 500 meters above sea level and opened fire on the passengers, who were mainly deckhands working on the boat, and injuring a yet-to ascertained number of persons.

One of the witnesses who chose to remain anonymous said “a military chopper shot at a boat conveying people and foodstuff from Port Harcourt to Bonny.”

“The local boat that just left here for Bonny on their way to within that Dutch Island area, a chopper or will I call it military flight or whatever, just come behind and bring their self low down, start shooting the wooden boat”, the witnesses said.

He added; “A boat driver said people were in that boat, that boat conveys garri, rice, with other things and everybody knows that that is the source of quick transporting of foodstuffs to Bonny; the boat left Port Harcourt, making its way to Bonny.”

It is not hidden, everybody saw it, the chopper flew through this way and, I can’t even call it chopper, it is a military flight because if it’s not a military flight, an ordinary chopper cannot just start shooting people.”

According to Adeyini victims of the attack, which he said happened along the Bonny River at Dutch Island in Okrika LGA, were currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Okrika while the other survivors were being conveyed to Bonny.

It was yet unclear whether the chopper belonged to the Nigerian Air Force or Nigerian Navy, or any other arm of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

It was not yet clear whether the chopper belonged to the Nigerian Air Force or Nigerian Navy, or any other arm of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Also speaking on the incident, Commanding Officer of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Nigerian Navy, Bonny, Capt. Rafiu Oladejo said the investigation has commenced ascertaining the veracity of the incident as it was being investigated.

The 115 Special Operations Group, Nigerian Air Force, Port Harcourt could not be reached to ascertain if they carried out any operations on the Bonny River.

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