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Military claims arrest of alleged key Niger Delta militants

Published

8 years ago

September 7, 2016

Military claims arrest of alleged key Niger Delta militants

The Nigerian Army has announced the arrest of two key militants in the Niger Delta.

According to the Army, one Gabriel Ogbudje, an ex-militant leader, who leads the Otugas Fire Force and one Isaac Romeo, said to be a leader of the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA were arrested.

The Army, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Col SK Usman, on Wednesday, said Ogbudie was alleged to be responsible for the recent attack on NPDC/Shoreline major delivery trunk line within Ogo-Oteri general area, adding that he was trailed and arrested by troops of the 4th Brigade along Agbor-Abraka road, Edo State on Tuesday 6th September 2016.

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“He has been on the run since he was declared wanted because of his public declaration as the leader of the militant group “Otugas Fire Force” and his subsequent declaration of the threat code named “Crocodile Tears”,” the Army said.

Usman further disclosed that Ogbudie was arrested alongside an accomplice, Mr. Elvis Dweller Ejus.

Similarly, Usman said troops of the 13 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in conjunction with Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force and covert operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, arrested Romeo, who is suspected to be a kingpin of the Avengers.

He was arrested alongside two others, Lawson Samson and an elderly man, Iyang Ekpo, in Calabar, the Cross River State capital on September 3 while driving in a vehicle with registration number, CRS 86 AO1.

Usman who said all the suspects are currently being interrogated, further noted that “The arrest followed painstaking efforts and tracking of the militant who was in the state to perpetrate further criminal activities of sabotaging critical infrastructures.”

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews…

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