,By Jessica Tamaraduoye, Asaba

Five persons suspected to have attacked a boat belonging to the anti-kidnapping and sea robbery squad of the military Joint Task Force, JTF, have been arrested in Ukubie community in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa state.

The five suspects were arrested by men of the JTF (Operation Pulo Shield) operating in the Niger Delta following relentless raids and stop and search patrols along the waterways in the region.

The coordinator of the task force’s Joint Media Campaign Centre‎, Mustapha Anka, a Colonel, said in a press statement that some weapons were recovered from the arrested men.

These include three Browning Machine Gun, BMGs, with registration numbers 1981 with stand, B572 Banel No Z90323 with stand, HMG – 50MG ST Kinetics serial No 2405PM with sitting. Others are one AK 47 rifle, a G3 Rifle and a wooden dummy rifle.

Also recovered from the suspects were three gunboat batteries, one HP laptop computer, one police fragmental jacket, a 200 horse power engine, empty cases of 12.7mm ammunition of HMG gun, one search light with batteries, one bag containing boat tools, one Nokia G6 mobile phone, two rifle butts and one plastic toy pistol.

Apart from the attack on the JTF anti-kidnapping boat, the suspected sea robbers are also believed to have been terrorising travellers on the waterways in Sangana and Sacta-Babra waterways in Bayelsa and Rivers States.

The JTF said in the press statement that normalcy had since returned to the waterways in the region since the arrest of the suspects and assured the people of its commitment to continue to safeguard the waterways and making them safe,

The JTF also pledged its commitment to safe guarding the region all through the the 2015 general elections, adding that its optimism “is attributed to the recent delivery of gunboats to the JTF by the Defence Headquarters to fight against all forms of criminalities, especially as the 2015 general elections approaches.”

It said further that it was “intensifying efforts through constant and aggressive day and night operational patrols to deny miscreants opportunity to perpetuate their nefarious activities”