Rivers: Councillor, others abducted by sea pirates

The whereabouts a councillor and several others who were abducted when sea pirates hijacked three boats in Rivers State remain unknown till date.
Three boats conveying passengers fro and to Bonny Island were attacked on Thursday at Dutch Island in Okrika Local Government Area and unspecified numbers of passengers including the councillor representing Ward 9 in the Bonny legislative Assembly were abducted and taken to an unknown destination.

Two of the commercial boats were travelling from Bonny to Port Harcourt while the third one was heading to Bonny from Port Harcourt. It was gathered that the three boats were attacked at once by sea pirates who have this year alone carried out thirteen attacks. 

Lawmaker representing Bonny State constituency, Abinye Pepple, said he was saddened by the incessant attack on boats conveying passengers to and fro Bonny. Peppple said it was unfortunate and saddening that people are still at the mercy of sea pirates, who have continued to boldly attack passengers with impunity.

The lawmaker said the state governor recently donated a gunboat to complement the existing ones in Bonny to effectively combat sea piracy and other forms of criminality on the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route and urged security agencies to use the boats to combat sea pirates operating on the waterways.