The Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe, has shot dead and arrested some members of the gang of criminals that killed four of its soldiers.

The officials were at their duty post at Nembe, in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State when they were killed.

Operation Delta Safe force was activated on June 24, with the mandate to stop all illegal oil bunkering activity in the upstream sector of the nation.

It experienced its worst backlash from criminals when the bandits, disguised as persons going for a burial party, attacked the soldiers at their duty post at Nembe and absconded with a gunboat and some ammunitions on August 8.

Two weeks after the attack, the Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, intimated the media on the success made in apprehending the culprits.

A member of the group that attacked the soldier arrested during the raid, Austin Zikuro, explained the scenario that led to a shootout with the soldiers.

He said they were on another mission but had to follow the route where the soldiers were stationed.

The commander while reassuring law abiding citizens of his commitment to ensuring safety on the waterways, appealed to Nigerians to always provide his team with timely information.

Militancy had resurged in the Niger Delta region few months ago, with some of the groups attacking oil installations in the region.

The development has affected Nigeria’s crude oil output, reducing the nation’s it by 700,000 barrels a day to 1.56 million barrels per day.