Suspected pirates kill 2 in Bayelsa

Gunmen suspected to be sea pirates on Sunday attacked a passenger boat on the Ogbia-Nembe waterways and killed two persons.

NAN reports that Awotimigha Iyabi, a victim, who died in the attack was an aide to a former commissioner in Bayelsa, while the second victim was yet to be identified.

Iyabi was a personal assistant to Chief Nathan Egba, a former Commissioner for Information.

Three persons, Alfred Belemote, a politician and his police escort, and the boat driver survived the attack. NAN learnt that the boat ran into a robbery operation and was trapped in gunshots from the gunmen.

The former commissioner for information and orientation, confirmed the incident. Egba, who led friends of the deceased on a condolence visit to the family of his former aide, expressed shock at the attack and described the deceased as a “non-violent and gentleman”.

The spokesman of the Bayelsa Police Command, Alex Akhigbe, also confirmed the incident, adding that details of the incident were not immediately available.

“It is true that two persons died in the attack,” Akhigbe said.