Two soldiers have drowned to death after a military gunboat involved in the search for members of the militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, suffered a mishap on water in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
According to sources who spoke to The Trent, the accident occurred in the early hours of Friday, May 20, 2016 when the patrol boat loaded with soldiers had an accident on the high sea. Several soldiers were injured in the accident.
Villagers in communities along the creeks also confirmed the incident.
The death of the soldiers, The Trent learnt, has thrown the Joint Military Task Force (JTF), the Operation Pulo Shield, and the third battalion of the Nigerian army into mourning.
The incident has increased fear in the area as residents are at a loss as to how the military would respond to the death of their colleagues on the Niger Delta high sea.
A military officer, who preferred not to be named, said the gunboat was conveying over ten soldiers when it capsized and the two soldiers drowned before they could be rescued.
Those who sustained injuries are undergoing treatment in undisclosed hospitals within the Warri metropolis.
Efforts to get the Commanding Officer, 3 Battalion, in Effurun Barracks, Major Monday Azanku, for comments were futile.
The JTF spokesman, Colonel Isa Ado, could not also be reached for comments.
