Four policemen, including an Assistant Superintendent of Police, were shot and killed by armed men suspected to be sea pirates. The policemen were said to be on patrol on the Abonema Wharf in Port Harcourt when the pirates, who were masked, suddenly appeared and opened fire on them.
One of the five occupants of the patrol boat, who survived the attack, reportedly jumped into the sea and swam to safety.
It was gathered that the hoodlums ambushed the unsuspecting marine policemen on their way to prevent criminal activities in the wharf and its environs. The sea pirates, who were 24 in number, came in four boats, each boat having six. An eyewitness told Southern City News that the incident, which occurred at about 3pm on Tuesday, caused panic within the Abonema Jetty as people scampered to safety on hearing gunshots by the sea pirates.
The source noted that it was the first time such an incident happened, maintaining that the policemen died before they could be rescued. According to eyewitness, “What I noticed was that the sea pirates had laid ambush for them (policemen). We learnt that one of the policemen killed was an Assistant Superintendent of Police. In all, four of them were killed.
“There was serious panic at the Abonema Wharf when the incident happened as people ran helter-skelter when they heard the loud sounds of gunshots. It was noticed that policemen were shot and killed after the situation had calmed down.”
Another source told our correspondent that following the incident, the Wharf experienced lull in activities. A security source said the pirates had shifted base from Calabar, the Cross River State capital, to Port Harcourt in Rivers State as they (pirates) could not withstand the heat and pressure mounted on them by the police in the area (Cross River).
“What happened today could be seen as fallout of the shift of sea pirates from Calabar to Port Harcourt. It has not been easy for these criminals in Calabar and that is why they have shifted base to Rivers. But we know something must be done to stop them,” the source said. Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Mohammad, said he would not be able to react immediately, adding that information available to him was still sketchy. “What I have now is a sketchy detail,” the State Police Command spokesman said in a text message sent to our correspondent.
Credit: Kingsley Igbinosa
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