A soldier and two operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps,NSCDC were shot dead on Sunday following a gun duel with suspected militants in Rivers.
The security operatives were killed and their weapons carted away while preventing militants from vandalising an oil and gas facility in Gio community, Tai area of Rivers.
The spokesman of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, confirmed the killings in a statement made available to Newsmen on Monday.
Iliyasu said the army later deployed more troops to the area with intent to apprehend the fleeing militants as well as other criminals in the community.
He said the cordon and search operation led to another gun duel with alleged cultists and an oil bunkering kingpin wanted by security agencies in the state.
The spokesman said Korobe Menele, a prime suspect in the killing of the security operatives, was shot dead in the gun duel with troops.
