Two military helicopters were on Tuesday, November 7, seen hovering round Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, and home town of wanted former Niger Delta militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, in the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
It was gathered that the helicopters were first sighted by the residents at 10am and flown for about 30 minutes before leaving the community.
PUNCH gathered that the aircraft returned for the second time at noon causing residents, some of who feared that soldiers were coming to invade the community, to panic and flee into the swampy neighbouring bush for cover.
Local sources who confirmed the development appealed to the Federal Government to caution the military in order to avoid another invasion of the community over the recent threat by the Niger Delta Avengers.
Investigation showed that the Nigerian military had deployed more soldiers in the creeks of Gbaramatu and the Escravos River, including Burutu, to check the activities of militants and to prevent their planned attack on oil and gas facilities.
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A military source, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the incident, saying that they were only carrying out aerial surveillance of the area, in response to the threat by the NDA.
Also confirming the development, the spokesman for the Gbaramatu Traditional Council, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, called on the Federal Government not to turn Gbaramatu Kingdom into a theatre of war, adding that no militant is taking cover in their communities.
Meanwhile, a Nigerian Air Force armed helicopter, EC-135, has bombed suspected illegal oil barges and storage facilities at Adokiakiri community in the Niger Delta, as the ceasefire announced by the NDA entered the fifth day.
The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, said on Tuesday that the stolen oil storage facilities were sighted in the community during an “armed reconnaissance” on Sunday and subsequently destroyed.
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