Soldiers raze Agge, Bayelsa town
From Segun James in Yenagoa, 08.05.2008

Men of the Nigerian Army yesterday invaded Agge Community in Ekere-mor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and razed the entire town in rage over the seizure on Sunday of a military gunboat and killing of two soldiers by militants along the Forcados River in Bomadi Area of the state.



The military action on Agge followed intelligence report that the perpetrators of the act, which was considered a slap on the face of the military, are from Agge and not Bomadi where the Sunday attack had taken place.

Some militants had attacked a military forward operating base in Bomadi in the early hours of Sunday, killing two soldiers and carting away a gunboat laden with arsenal to repel any attack.

The militants were said to have taken the boat to an area in Bomadi where they stripped it of all its military hardware before abandoning the carcass for the soldiers.

The humiliating action was said to have irked the military high command, which ordered that the perpetrators must be brought to book.

THISDAY learnt that to carry out the reprisal, the military took off from Warri Naval Base, NNS Delta, late on Sunday night for Agge, a border community between Bayelsa and Delta States on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.

Their arrival in the early hours of yesterday triggered a stampede as the soldiers went on a systematic destruction of the community in the search for weapons taken from the gunboat and the killers of the two soldiers.

It was gathered that some persons, most especially the elderly, were trampled upon during the stampede caused by the attacking soldiers.

But what led to razing of the town, THISDAY learnt, was the resistance put up by the youths of the community who engaged the soldiers in a gun duel.

During the ensuing battle, the youths reportedly damaged two of the military gun boats with which the soldiers arrived the community.

Irked by the action of the youths, the soldiers began the destruction of the community after they had subdued the recalcitrant youths, some of whom were killed while others escaped into the mangrove forest.

By last night, no arrest had been made following the attack while there was also no confirmed figure of the casualties.

Many residents of Agge are now taking refuge in nearby creeks and communities, our source revealed.

The action of the military, which is seen as a reprisal has thrown up refugees as natives of neighbouring communities also have started moving out of the Ekeremor Area for fear of being attacked by soldiers in their quest to apprehend the killers who are still at large.

When contacted, the Commander of the 73 Battalion of the Joint (Military) Task Force (JTF) on the Niger Delta in Bayelsa State, Lt. Col. Chris Musa, confirmed the military action.

Although he would not give details, Musa said the invasion was aimed at arresting the perpetrators of last weekend’s attack on JTF by suspected militants.

According to him, perpetrators of last weekend’s attack during which one woman was reportedly killed by stray bullet was said to have come from Agge Community, adding that the search was carried out in a bid to fish out the perpetrators.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/aug/5/216.html

Don't worry, MEND will send them a suitable reply.

Don't worry, MEND will send them a suitable reply.

Lmao, You want another Odi genocide?

When will these barbarians masquerading as soldiers learn? I can bet they went there to shoot 'anything that moves and things that don't move'. Trust them to flex their muscles where innocent women and children are concerned.

When will these barbarians masquerading as soldiers learn? I can bet they went there to shoot 'anything that moves and things that don't move'. Trust them to flex their muscles where innocent women and children are concerned

What else do you want them to do when they are idle all day smoking weed, playing draft and banging cheap prostitutes. i'm cocksure most of these women were raped today but Nigerian culture being what it is, they wouldn't speak out about the sexual abuse. Wuzzies!