The Bayelsa State Police Command says it has recovered the lifeless bodies of four officers who went missing in the state’s waterways on Monday, July 25.
It was gathered that officers went missing after a surveillance boat conveying them capsized at Korokorosei in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
A statement by the Command’s spokesperson, Asinim Butswat, disclosed the corpse of one officer was recovered as at the time of the incident, while three were still missing.
According to him, “The command is yet to establish the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident. Divers have been deployed to the area for possible rescue of the missing persons.”
It was also learnt that the operations manager of Darlon Oil and Gas Limited, an oil surveillance firm, identified as Odi Lyon, the younger brother of a former All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Bayelsa, David Lyon, also died in the incident.
Speaking on the recovery of the corpses on Sunday, the Commissioner of Police, Benjamin Okolo, however, revealed that the incident was the handiwork of pipeline vandals.
“They (deceased officers) intercepted some vandals and burnt some equipment used for vandalism. Preparing to return to base, the boat, which is a gunboat with unidentified people, most likely these vandals, ran into them with the intention to get them capsized.
“And in the process, the civil mobile policemen, who were onboard the speedboat that was taking them for the surveillance, capsized and fell into the water. Three swarm to safety but four couldn’t make it, including one of the personnel of Darlon Company. But finally, all the bodies have been recovered,” he stated.
He noted that the Inspector-General of Police and the entire police body were saddened by the death of the officers.
The four corpses have reportedly been deposited at the mortuary of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, the state capital.
