Port-Harcourt — The special military Joint Task Force (JTF) and militants clashed for the second successive day in Rivers State with claims and counter claims of heavy losses being suffered by both sides as fighting between the military and fighters of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) rages in the numerous creeks in the state.

Yesterday's fighting, Daily Trust learnt is said to have erupted in Elem-Tombia, scene of earlier clash between the military and the militants on Saturday, and Ogboma which the militants alleged was razed by soldiers.

The militants further alleged that civilian casualties from yesterday's fighting was high, a claim our correspondent could not verify.

On Saturday, the JTF clashed with militants in Eleme-Tombia, Degema local government area of Rivers State with the spokesman for the task force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa saying the fighting broke out when fighters of MEND attacked soldiers on patrol, who returned fire in self-defence.

Lt. Col. Musa told journalists that no casualty was recorded in Saturday's gun fight. But, MEND in a statement released in Port-Harcourt, disputed this claim, alleging that the JTF launched a major offensive with gun boats and helicopter gun ships against its camps in the state, killing three of its members.

MEND, therefore, threatened reprisal attacks on oil and military installations in retaliation for Saturday's offensive, and asked oil majors in Nigeria to leave the Niger Delta. Following this warning, fighting between the military and MEND fighters escalated yesterday, as the military and militants clashed again in some parts of the state.

MEND in a statement by Mr. Jomo Gbomo, its spokesman said in response to Saturday's attack by the military, the group has launched a counter offensive tagged "Hurricane Barbarossa" with heavily armed fighters in hundreds of war boats filing out from different MEND bases across the Niger Delta to carry out destructive and deadly attacks on the oil industry in Rivers State.

Gbomo claimed that by dawn yesterday, MEND fighters had killed 22 soldiers deployed to guard oil facilities in the trouble zone, destroyed oil flow stations, gun boats, and sabotaged oil pipelines.

The oil installations, the MEND fighters attacked, Gbomo disclosed include the Soku Gas Plant, Chevron Platform at Kula while a major crude pipeline at Nembe creek was blown up at several points.

However, JTF spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa in his reaction to yesterday's attack by MEND, dismissed Gbomo's claims that 22 soldiers were killed, adding that instead the military inflicted heavy casualties on the militants.

"This is another wild propaganda. No soldier was killed as MEND has openly admitted. It's unfortunate they suffered heavy casualties", he said.

According to Gbomo, the counter offensive by MEND will continue until the Federal Government appreciates that the solution to the Niger Delta problem is justice and dialogue. "This military style bull-ying belongs to the past 50 years when the Niger Delta people responded only with their mouths, pens and placards.

"All international oil and gas loading vessels entering the region are warned to drop anchor in the high sea or divert elsewhere until further notice. Failure to comply is taking a foolhardy risk of attack and destruction of the vessel.

"Again, we are asking that oil companies evacuate their staff from their field facilities because the brief is not to capture hostages but to bring these structures to the ground", Gbomo added.

Meanwhile, MEND disclosed that the 27 oil workers who were rescued from pirates will be used as leverage to bargain for the release of Mr. Henry Okah, who is standing trial for sundry offences.

The oil workers, comprising five foreign nationals from British, South African and Ukrainian origin, as well as 22 Nigerians were kidnapped from the MT Blue Ocean and are currently trapped in the fighting between its fighters and the military, MEND said.

Some of the hostages MEND claimed are injured and require medical attention.