Gunmen in Bayelsa assault Air Drive helipad, kill airman

• Air vice marshal orders investigation
Unknown gunmen within the early hours of Sunday attacked a Nigerian Air Drive (NAF) helipad in Igbodene, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, killing an airman and making away together with his rifle.

The incident is a disturbing addition to a rising record of assaults by legal parts within the oil-rich state. In March, armed males invaded Ayama neighborhood in Ogbia Native Authorities Space of the state, killing 4 individuals. The next month, assassins shot useless Mr. Ebikimi okoringa, a newly appointed aide, to the state governor, Seriake Dickson.

The helipad, a favorite touchdown website for high-profile guests to Bayelsa together with safety chiefs and prime authorities officers, is surrounded by dense vegetation.

A safety supply, pleading anonymity, mentioned: “The helipad is surrounded by bush. So it was simple for the gunmen to assault it. Once they got here, they shot the airman on the safety submit and took his rifle. When the second airman heard the gunshot, he rushed to the location and noticed his colleague mendacity useless.”

He added: “Actions on the 2019 elections have began and hoodlums are searching for weapons. This is without doubt one of the methods they go about it. Safety operatives ought to improve their degree of alertness.”



Bayelsa State Police Commissioner, Don Awunah, confirmed the incident at a press briefing yesterday. He, nonetheless, mentioned particulars remained sketchy. The Nigerian Air Drive Headquarters additionally confirmed the assault, saying personnel on responsibility repelled it in a shootout.

An announcement by the Director, NAF Public Relations, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, mentioned the incident occurred within the early hours of Sunday, as a bunch of unknown gunmen attacked the guard submit on the NAF’s helipad.

“Though the NAF personnel on responsibility had been in a position to repel the assault, an airman paid the supreme sacrifice within the course of. The Chief of Air Workers, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has ordered a right away investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the assertion reads.