Thirty-five people were killed yesterday in violent clashes that ensued between security officers controlling the Niger Delta region and the region militants. The deadly stand-offs took place in Bayelsa, Delta and River States.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) had launched strings of attacks against the men of the Nigerian Army in retaliation. The group declared that at least 29 soldiers and six of its own members were killed in the warfare in an operation that was tagged ‘Operation Hunter Hunted.’.
MEND also confirmed that fast attack boats, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles where used in the conflicts at the three separate locations in the oil-producing region: Odiama creek in Bayelsa, Opia River in Delta and the confluence of Bonny and Andoni River in Rivers State.
It is reported that Soviet weapons combined with General Purpose Machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and other assorted weapons were used for the assault.
