Joint Military Task Force (JTF) operating in Niger Delta region, code named; Operation Delta Safe’, has commenced manhunt for five members of a dreaded militant group who were alleged to have masterminded the bombing of a major trunkline belonging to Agip Oil at Egbemoru community, Southern-Ijaw Council area, a border settlement between Delta and Bayelsa State.

The suspects namely; Kennedy Obiro, Clifford Aguzima, Ebikeme

Igelemo, as well as one Joseph Okuoma Faithful, identified as the gang leader and his wife, Joseph Julie Avwerosou, were reported to have conspired with others in setting ablaze the oil company’s pipeline last year over surveillance contract award dispute in the community.

While some members of the gang were apprehended by security agents during the attack, the rest of them, including the five suspects mentioned were said to have escaped from the scene of the incident in fast moving speed boat that disappeared into Delta creek after being chased by JTF operatives despatched to the crime spot.

It was the during the interrogation of those arrested that the identities of those at large were made known to the security agent who had been on their trail since last year but still could not locate their whereabout as it was believed that they had gone under the radar.

Source close to the JTF Command who made this disclosure to Daily Sun yesterday, noted that the renewed search by the military JTF was based on the intel of another planned attack on oil installations which had been linked to the members of the same militant group that had reinforced both interns of manpower and equipment over these period of time.

According to the military source; “The latest manhunt of the five suspects declared by the security operatives was to apprehend them before they could consolidate in building another set of dreaded militants group that could reck further havoc of multi-billion naira oil installations across the Niger Delta region”.

He maintained that; “Based on intelligence gathering it was clear that the absconded members of the gang, led by Joseph Okuoma Faithful, had proved that the gang were not relenting as they have perfected plan on how to attack more facility belonging to Agip Oil even outside Bayelsa state in order to get even with the management”.

He hinted that already the tracking efforts of the military JTF had started yielding results and expressed optimism that the gang members currently at large would be fished out and made to face the full weight of the law for the crime they have committed to serve as deterrent to others in the region. (Saturday Sun)

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