Navy averts pirates’ attack in Rivers waterways, rescues 20

The Nigerian Navy in the Bonny area of Rivers State has announced the rescue of 20 passengers, including women and infants, after it averted a pirate attack on the Port Harcourt to Bonny sea route.

Confirming the incident, Navy Captain and Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (NNFOB) in Bonny, Maksum Mohammed, said the feat was achieved following an intelligence tip-off.

He further disclosed that the Navy has also uncovered a new style by pirates to abduct passengers.

He said intelligence suggested that some of the boat operators may be working with the pirates to simulate attacks.

He explained that boat operators would load the boats fully, reach the entrance of a river on the water highway, fake engine problems, and while fidgeting with the engine, pirates would swoop in, evacuate the passengers into the creeks, and demand ransom.

According to him, the latest incident involved a boat loaded with 20 passengers, including infants, which almost turned scary.

The task team commander said the team was conducting an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission of the general area between the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne, and Dawes Island in Okrika Local Government Area (LGA) when it came into contact with an outboard-powered engine speed boat that was stranded at sea.

He narrated that the team waited on the speedboat to fix its faulty engine and let it continue its journey to Bonny. However, upon encountering it again and evaluating the situation, they decided the engine was unfixable in the circumstances, shut it down, and transferred its passengers to the Navy fast boat, conveying them to Bonny.

Speaking with newsmen on the incident, the NNFOB Commanding Officer expressed serious concern about the tragedy that was averted.

He said finding the boat twice waiting at river entrances was a danger signal, which forced the team to react by taking control and moving the passengers out of the marked area.
He said: “This is a clear case of willful endangerment of passenger safety. Why would any mariner in his right senses sail with passengers on board a boat whose engines were outrightly faulty and unable to sustain an hour’s journey?

“And then, we’re also dealing with recent cases of attacks on the river; what if these criminals had seen and approached them and taken them captive? What leverage would they have had to escape their assailants? It’s quite unfortunate that hapless passengers could be so exposed to avoidable risks for the exorbitant amount they pay.”

He said the case appeared to be a simulation. He said that the places they saw the boat twice were exact danger spots for attacks.

He said, “This is just in case there was some kind of a plan because nearly all the kidnap incidents occurred where there was an engine failure or simulation in front of a river mouth, which resulted in the kidnapping as they come out and then pick their victims and carry on.

“We encountered the same boat again simulating another engine failure in front of another river entrance. Simulating another engine failure—as far as I’m concerned, I’ll use simulation—in a place that is also known for kidnap activities. It was at that point that we decided to evacuate the passengers onto our own boats and continue with the movement.”

Mohammed advised the coastal state governments and LGAs to urgently consider deploying ferries on the waterways, especially the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route, as a safer, sustainable, and subsidised means of transportation.

He added, “It’s obvious that these speedboats are worn-out, rickety, and dangerous for passengers at present. It’s time for the State Government and the Local Government to review the situation in the interest of the people and deploy ferries to convey passengers on this route.

“The ferries would be safer, sustainable, and also subsidised to make it affordable. The fare is exorbitant. The boats are unserviceable, unsuitable, and not fit for purpose at all. It’s time the government intervened and availed the security agencies the support they needed to ensure passenger safety and waterways security.”

The Bonny River, which is the primary sea route between Bonny Island and Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has lately been challenged by incessant attacks on travellers commuting the route, with about 20 persons kidnapped and later released, creating a frightening atmosphere for sea travellers.

Residents and sea travellers have relentlessly cried out to security agencies, including the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Army, Marine Police, and the Department of State Services, among others, to come to their aid.

However, the Commanding Officer of the NNFOB has expressed concern that despite the coordinated efforts of the security agencies, it might not yet be good news for commuters on the sea route unless there are urgent interventions by the government in terms of deploying ferries, ensuring convoy sails, and more robust intelligence sharing.

He assured the security agencies’ commitment in Bonny LGA, especially the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, to ensuring the safety of travellers on the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route, saying: “Bonny people are important to us and their safety is a critical issue we are focused on.”