Sea pirates

By Emma Amaize

SUSPECTED sea pirates, weekend, raided Opurudiegbene, a riverine Ijaw community in Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State, defiled several women at gunpoint, broke into homes, shops, looted properties and money.

Three children were missing, according to community sources, after the audacious rampage by the gun-totting hooligans, who struck at about 10.00 pm last Friday night.

Commissioner of Police, Delta State, Mr. Adeleke Adeyinka, told Vanguard when contacted, Saturday afternoon, “There have been rivalries on the waterways but we never heard that they raped women.”

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A community leader and victim of the attack, Mr. Philip Amatu, said: “They are little boys of between 17 to 24 years. They came in one speedboat with sophisticated weapons and shot sporadically into the air to scare us to run for our lives.”

“We know some of them and their villages. They raped women, stole money from various shop owners, electronics and generating sets. I lost my generator to the boys. We are still finding three children after the raid. Until now, their mothers are crying.

“I cannot tell whether they are drowned. We slept in the forest as others ran to neighbouring villages through the bush path for safety,” he said

A prominent leader of the community, Chief Michael Ezoukumor , who lives in Warri, said he received calls from his kinsmen over the attack, calling on the state government and security agents to fish out the attackers and prosecute them.

He regretted that sea pirates were turning lords in Burutu local government area with their mind-boggling escapades.

Last week, supposed sea pirates bombed the residence of a community in the area for allegedly opposing their plan to build a camp in the area.

They reduced the building to rubble but nobody sustained injury, as there was no occupant when they struck.

VANGUARD