By Samuel Oyadongha
Yenagoa — The riverside town of Korokrosei in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was, yesterday, thrown into confusion as suspected pipeline vandals and oil thieves launched an attack on the community, following the arrest of three of their members by security operatives.

A youth, identified as Erelayefa, was reportedly shot dead, while two school children were hit by stray bullets.

Trouble, it was learned, started in the community, when the combined team of the Joint Task Force, codenamed Operation Delta Safe and the men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC,  arrested some suspected pipeline vandals in the area.

The suspects were apprehended over their alleged involvement in the December 2016 attack on the Ogbainbiri-Tebidaba trunk line operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC.

The invaders were said to have stormed the community in the early hours of yesterday, shooting dead a youth, who engaged them.

Also shot and critically injured were two school pupils from the Community Primary School.

It was also gathered that the members of the Oil and Gas Committee in the Southern Ijaw area were not left out in the attack.

The home of the coordinator of the oil and gas task force and three others were set ablaze over their involvement in the arrest of the suspected vandals.

According to community sources, the suspected oil thieves have been on the wanted list of the security agencies over the December attack on the Agip pipeline.

The source said: “The boys came again and beat up most of those suspected to have been working with security agents.”