17th August, 2010
A police inspector, Stephen Ode, attached to the Tai Police Division in,Tai Local Government Area of Ogoniland, Rivers State, South-South Nigeria, has been shot dead during an attack by illegal oil bunkerers at a checkpoint at Ogu-Bolo road junction.
The oil bunkerers later invaded the police post in Tai.
According to police sources who confided in P.M.NEWS this morning, the illegal oil thieves may have planned a reprisal attack on the police following the arrest of some their colleagues last week.
Those arrested are currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Port Harcourt.
Confirming the attack on the Police buy the oil thieves, Dr. Rita Innoma-Abbey, the state police command spokesman said that “the attack may have been as a result of some of the oil bunkerers we arrested from that axis. They decided to embark on a reprisal attack against our men during which an inspector died while others are responding to treatment.â€
Early this year, Governor Chibuike Amaechi declared war against illegal oil bunkerers in Ogoniland that saw voluntary surrender of some of them and the arrest of others.
—Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt