Navy officer killed in Nigeria
2008-05-21 12:32
Lagos - A navy officer was killed and two other servicemen were wounded after gunmen fleeing the scene of a foiled bank robbery in southern Nigeria opened fire, said police on Wednesday.
"The incident happened on Monday in Bonny. The gunmen came in speed boats and started shooting when they could not rob the bank," Rivers police spokesperson Rita Abbey said.
"In the process, one naval officer was killed and four other military officers were wounded," she added. She said security forces were on the trail of the attackers.
However, local papers said four navy personnel and a civilian were killed during the attack, the latest to hit Nigeria's volatile Niger Delta in recent months.
The past two years had seen an upsurge in violent attacks by separatist gangs in the region, cutting Nigeria's daily oil output by a quarter.