The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has claimed responsibility for the killing of 12 policemen attached to the Bayelsa State Police Command.
In a statement on Sunday, MEND said it also lost two men in the shootout with the security agents.
In the statement issued by its spokesman, Gbomo Jomo, MEND described the attack as a warning to the Joint Task Force, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, which had earlier said it was not capable of launching a war against Nigeria as promised.
MEND, which said it killed over 15 security agents and not 12 as claimed by the police, had christened the planned attack on the Nigerian state ‘Operation Hurricane Exodus’.
The statement by MEND reads: “For dismissing Hurricane Exodus as an “empty threat” by the Nigerian security forces, heavily armed fighters from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, at about 17:00 Hrs., Saturday 06, April 2013, intercepted and engaged government security forces in a fierce gunfight lasting over forty minutes at Azuzama, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
“The clash which happened in the river left over fifteen security forces dead as we also lost two of our fighters in the battle.
“We hope this encounter will serve as a lesson to the Joint Task Force from making careless utterances that cannot be backed as we remain resolute in our resumption of hostilities.
“All oil companies and the public are advised to ignore the false sense of security been peddled by the JTF as well as the false comments from a “Comrade Azizi.
“This person is not known to MEND, does not speak for MEND and his utterances and style do not reflect our plans and actions.”
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