Fubara declares war against sea piracy in Rivers

Emmanuel Nlewedum, Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has declared total war against sea piracy in the state.

Governor Fubara who frowned at the attacks on boat operators and sea travellers by pirates on sea routes in Rivers State, said it will no longer be business as usual

He said his administration will no longer tolerate such criminality, reassuring the commitment of the present government under his leadership to the security of lives and property of all residents of the state, by ensuring that they can go about their genuine and productive activities without fear of molestation.

The Governor gave the assurance when he received a delegation of the Rivers Commercial District of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), who came to Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, to formally draw the attention of government to their plight and seek immediate intervention.

Represented by the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr George Nwaeke, Governor Fubara commended them for performing their civic obligation by reporting criminality in their places of business to the authority.

He reiterated that his administration is deeply interested in ensuring proper policing of every part of the State, which is why, he explained that the Rivers State Government has placed priority on peace, security of lives and property of residents.

He said, “The security of human beings and their property is one singular agenda of government that this Governor has never joked with, and he is willing to do anything, even for the umpteenth time, to ensure that it is provided.”

He said all hands must be on deck to achieve adequate security in the state, even as he urged residents to report every movements that poses security threat around them to security agencies.

He added that the criminal elements perpetrating those crimes, are well-known, and live in communities among the people but nobody has been very brave enough to provide information on them to the appropriate authority that will help in their arrest.

His words, “Bring information to government, tell us about those people. This government does not condone bad habits. We do not harbour criminals in our midst.

“I don’t know the problems that may be on the waterways, but you know the flashpoints because that is the route you follow. Provide information about those flashpoints, we will do our best.

“Every Rivers person knows that one of the things that we don’t want to hear is violence. We aim to totally destroy violence in Rivers State.”

Governor Fubara said his administration is not resting on its oars to provide good governance, and infrastructure that will promote quality service delivery to every resident (s) in the State.

He said: “I want to thank God that something is being done, which you may not hear all of them in the news, but just give some time, you will find out that Rivers State will still become one of the best destinations for people to come, even for tourism”.

In his address, Chairman, Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Rivers Commercial District, Comrade Israel Waribo Pepple, said there has been incessant piracy attacks on members of the union on the waterways, adding that their nefarious activities have given them sleepless nights and held their operations hostage.

Pepple stated that sea pirate attacks on the union’s members often lead to most of them or their passengers taken hostage or killed while carting away personal belongings, including member’s boats.

Pepple said: “On Thursday, August 22, 2024, a boat sailing from Bonny to Port Harcourt was attacked by unknown gunmen, who took five (5) passengers to an unknown destination.

“Bille Boat was attacked, the attackers went away with the boat and engine, with other

valuables belonging to the passengers.”

Pepple added that, “On Auqust 24, workers’ boat coming from Bonny to Port Harcourt was attacked by unknown gunmen, and two passengers were taken away, and till date, they are still under captivity.

“Recently, at Tourist Beach Unit, Port Harcourt, we also recorded the captivity of a driver, deckhand, occupants in the boat with two police officers on escort.

“The unknown gunmen are demanding N10million as ransom for their release. These and many more are taking place in other units like Okrika, Kula, Bakana, Oyorokoto, Abonnema, etc,” he emphasised.

He expressed displeasure over what he described as the inability of security agencies  to do the needful to protect lives and property of law-abiding citizens operating on the sea routes.

He stated that, what they do, rather, is to focus attention mostly on Multinational Oil Companies (IOCs), their equipment and workers due to the economic advantage they derive therefrom.

Comrade Pepple said: “To this end, we call on the Governments to save the souls of our teeming members, whose means of sustenance have consistently been threatened, and have lost so much to sea pirates and men of the under-world.”

He added, “We urge the Government to ensure the release of kidnapped passengers onboard our boats recently. We also seek the provision of gun/house boats at strategic locations for random patrol on the waterways in the State.

“Provision of financial support to the affected passengers and boat operators have suffered great loss due to the unforeseen tragedy,” he pleaded.