Seven Bayelsa policemen killed over alleged armed robbery

Aiwerie Okungbowa, Asaba and Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

Confusion hit the police in Bayelsa and Delta states following the killing of seven policemen in Ughelli, Delta State over their alleged involvement in armed robbery operations.

It was gathered a police seargent attached to the Bayelsa State Police Command armoury, was also arrested and transfered to the Headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force in Abuja for allegedly giving guns to the policemen illegally.

The seven policemen were reportedly shot dead during a gun battle with operatives of the Delta State Anti-robbery squad.

Though the Bayelsa State Command refused to make official statement on the development, sources within the police confirmed that the incident occurred at night last Wednesday.

But the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Nkereuwem Akpan, reportedly led a team of officers to the Delta State Command to retrieve the corpses of the accused policemen.

A source claimed that the deceased comprised policemen from ranks of seargents and Corpral and were indigenes of the state.

“The reported killing of the seven policemen in the shootout in Delta State is causing uproar at the command.

“They were reported to have been engaging the armed robbery activities when they engage the Delta Special Anti-robbery squad in a shootout. They were all killed”, he said.

Attempts to get the spokesperson of the command, Asinim Butswat to comment on the development proved abortive as his phone line was engaged for hours.

But another police seargent, an armourer attached to the Bayelsa command, was reportedly arrested for his alleged involvement in giving guns to the deceased.

The seargent, who is also a pastor of a church in the Bayelsa capital, was reported to have been moved to the Nigerian Police headquarters in Abuja.

The Commissioner of Police, Delta State, Hafiz Inuwa, said he was not aware of the development.

But another source from the Bayelsa State Police command, who spoke in confidence, confirmed the development saying the incident happened at Ughelli.

He said: “What you said is true. But I dont want to speak further. Don’t also rule out a case of mistaken identity. There was also some criminal motives attributed to the policemen. They were found where they were not supposed to be. They were carrying guns and at the same time in muftu”