Tina Amanda
Ijaw Youth Council of Ke Clan in Degema local government area of the state, has cried out to the state, local government and security agencies for urgent intervention over the incessant pirates’ attack on Ke water ways.
Chairman Ijaw Youth Council Ke Clan, Solomon Douglas, made this known to our correspondent, while reacting to the recent pirate attack on a passenger boat coming from Abonema Wharf Port Harcourt to Ke Community, on Thursday , 4th June, along Namasibi water ways of the New Calabar River.
Douglas lamented that the water ways is no longer safe for Ke people to travel on as pirate attacks have become a continuous occurrence, and calledg on security agencies to beef up security by deploying more gunboats along the water ways.
“In the month of May 2020, a transport boat conveying Ke people was hijacked and the driver of the boat sustained serious injury. On the 3rd of June, 2020 another boat was also hijacked by the pirates, a nursing mother and her baby were among passengers taking away by the pirates.
“Yesterday, being 4th of June, a boat fully loaded with Ke passengers returning from Port Harcourt to Ke was chased by the same pirates at the same spot. Ke people can no longer travel home or return to Port Harcourt, because of pirates operating in our water ways.
“We are calling on the Degema Local Government Chairman and Governor Nyesom Wike to come to our aid. They should send security Officers to Namasibi axis of the New Calabar River and Degema water ways. Gunboats should be provided on our water ways, because we can not travel in peace any more”
He further appealed to the state government to assist them by approving the set up of local security outfit, known as “Vigilante” in order to ensure the security of lives and properties in Ke water ways.
Also speaking, Driver of the attacked boat, Tamunoiminabo Aginah, who narrated the ordeal, said that the same pirates who attacked them on 3rd June, were same pirates that chased after them yesterday 4th June, stressing that in all the attacks, there was no sign of gunboats to rescue them.
“We left Port Harcourt Abonema Wharf around 4pm on 4th June, 2020, reaching New Calabar River, popularly known as “Namasibi” same pirate that attacked us on Wednesday 3rd June, were the people that chased after us yesterday. By the grace of God, they were unable to meet us up.
“They chased after us till we neared Port Harcourt, we finally got back to Abonema Wharf, same place we took off from, the journey to Ke that yesterday was cancelled.
“In the aspect of security, we did not see any gunboats on patrol, even on Wednesday 3rd June, there was no sight of gunboats on the river while we were being attacked. They keep attacking us because there is no gunboats to secure our water ways”
Meanwhile, Rivers State Police Command had earlier confirmed the rescue of thirteen passengers out of fifteen passengers attacked while traveling on Ke water ways.
Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, who stated this, said the command has deployed more gunboats to Degema water ways to ensure security of commuter’s plying the routes.
He noted that the command search and rescue team has been deployed on Ke water ways to rescue the remaining victims.
