Tina Amanda
Youths of Bille Kingdom in Degema local government area of Rivers state have carried out a peaceful protest in Bille Town, demanding an end to sea pirates’ attack on Bille/Bonny waterways.
The Youths numbering about three hundred was seen demonstrating peacefully around Bille main town with placards tagged “#End Sea Piracy in Bille/Bonny waterways”
In an interview with our correspondent at the protest ground, Zonal President, Nigeria Youth Federation, Dauseighe Bowei, expressed worries that the Bille people are starving to death, as they can no longer ply the Bille water route to Port Harcourt for fear of being attacked and killed by pirates.
According to him, a Community like Bille with so much oil Wells should not be facing such a situation without any government intervention.
“As youths, we can not solve this problem alone, we are handicapped at this point. We have been crying to the federal, state, and local government for help, even our Chiefs have put in efforts, yet no meaningful solution. We know our rights as youths of this country.
“Just this morning, the lifeless body of our late brother Taminoemi Kemuel, who got killed on Sunday by pirates was discovered in the river, we are afraid to leave our community, business activities are shutdown.
“How can a community rich in Oil be suffering like this when we have a security presence in our community? As I speak, we are starving for lack of food, we can not go out or come into Bille for fear of being attacked by sea pirates.
“Our mothers can no longer go to the market because boats no more ply Port Harcourt Bille route ever since the recent killing happened”
He further called on all well-meaning Nigerians, concerned authorities, federal, state, and local government, security agencies to come to their aid.
“We are calling on the international bodies, concern citizens, government at all levels, all security agencies to come to the aid of Bille people and help us end sea pirates attacks, so we can move freely”
