2nd September, 2024
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
At least 10 boat passengers were kidnapped along Bonny-Port Harcourt waterways, Rivers State by gunmen suspected by Sea pirates in the early hours of today, Monday.
However, details of the kidnap incident remain hazy at the time of filing this report.
However, it was learnt that the incident happened at about 7 am this morning when the passenger boat was sailing from Bonny to Port Harcourt.
“The 10 people were abducted close to an area called the Dutch island around 0700hrs this morning”, a source said.
Others sources confirmed to our correspondent that the gunmen intercepted the boat at gunpoint and kidnapped the passengers.
However, the Rivers State Police Command has not confirmed the incident as at the time of filing in this report.
Recall that members of Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Rivers Commercial District, led by Comrade Israel Waribo Pepple had recently protested to Governor Siminalayi Fubara over the incessant attacks on members and passengers on waterways in Rivers.
Pepple narrated numerous incidents of kidnap of passengers for ransom.
He noted that the sea pirates have been on rampage kidnapping hijacking boat and abducting passengers on waterways in the State.
Comrade Pepple expressed displeasure over what he described as the inability of security agencies 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.
“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,” Pepple said.
Ends
