21st November, 2019
By Okafor Ofiebor
In spite of the rescue of four immigration officers kidnapped along the Port Harcourt-Onne-Bonny waterways, seafarers and boat drivers claim the route remains very unsafe.
The kidnapped officers were rescued around 10 am on Wednesday, November 13 by security operatives after engaging in a gun battle with the kidnappers.
Seven of the militants were said to have been wounded, while weapons were recovered from them.
The rescued immigration officers were later handed over to the police for release to the NIS and their families.
A visit to the Port Harcourt jetty in the old Port Harcourt township revealed that a week after the rescue, seafarers who travel through Port Harcourt-Onne-Bonny route do so with great trepidation.
“We are perpetually gripped with fear.The few gunboats that are there patrolling the route are there for their own pockets.They collect money from boat drivers and look the other way. They are few in number and are more interested in extorting money from boat drivers.” Said a boat driver.
Another driver, Bobby ( not real name), said “I am always in constant fear each time l want to travel my blood pressure jumps up very high. My Doctor has been warning me to take things easy. But l told him that I always feel scared each l want to travel. ”
In another development , the users of Port Harcourt jetty have called on the Rivers State government to complete the project.
The Jetty was flagged off for reconstruction in the old Township since 2016 by Governor Nyesom Wike.
The boat owners complained that non-completion of the Jetty is causing a lot of discomfort to them.
“Since they started reconstructing the Jetty, nothing has been done.They have now merged us the Nembe, Bille and Hausa people. Let the government complete our Jetty, which is Bonny Jetty so that we can go back and operate in our own Jetty”, they appealed.