Tina Amanda
Pirates have attacked travellers on Bille Waters, injuring two.
This is as the people of Bille kingdom in Degema local government area of Rivers State have called on all levels of government for urgent security intervention on Bille waterways.
They said they have been under constant pirate siege by gunmen in military uniforms for the past 5 days, which have led to some people missing in the water while some sustained serious bullet wounds.
Some of the victims of the pirates’ attack who recounted their ordeals to our reporter Tina Amanda, appealed to the state government to beef up security on Bille waterways.
According to them, the gunmen numbering over six in a gunboat attacked them on their way to Port Harcourt from Bille and shot sporadically at them.
They said the pirates continued shooting as the boat refused to stop which led to two people sustaining bullet wounds and are currently been treated in a hospital in Port Harcourt.
They however appealed to the federal and state governments to come to the aid of Bille kingdom by providing gunboats that will be on patrol on the Bille waterways as their lives are now under serious threat, adding that Bille people have no other route except through the waterways.
Also speaking, Chairman of Bille community Port Harcourt, Fi-ibite Adokiye Bibi, who was also a victim of the attack, lamented that Bille kingdom has security agencies operating in Bille but nothing has been done by the security operatives to Savage the situation since 31st May the siege started, stressing that over 18 boats worth millions of naira have been stolen by the pirates.
“Property worth millions have been lost, we are under siege, Bille kingdom is the most peaceful community in Nigeria which we are proud to say, but now we cannot move again. We have 29 tactical battalion Army headquarters station in Bille, the police and other security agencies, but nothing has happened.
“On Saturday they shot at people, collected their boat. On Sunday they collected boats and belongings. Today five boats were coming they chased us and collected all our belongings, we were in the mangrove for more than one hour before we were finally rescued”
On his part, Vice Chairman Maritime Workers of Nigeria Bille unit, Macdonald Okeipiriye, said they have been complaining of the incessant sea pirate attacks on Bille people, adding that they have severally laid complain to the Marine Police in charge of Bille water ways and nothing has been done.
