The Nigerian Navy Forward Operation Base in Bonny, Rivers State, has successfully rescued 20 passengers, including women and children, from potential pirate captivity on the Port Harcourt-Bonny sea route. Commander Maksum Mohammed, the Base’s Commander of the NNFOB disclosed this information to newsmen on Monday.
According to Commander Mohammed, the Navy has uncovered a new tactic employed by pirates to abduct travelers. Intelligence suggests that some boat operators are colluding with pirates to launch attacks.
He mentioned that Boat operators load passengers and pretend to experience engine problems midway through the journey. While pretending to fix the issue, pirates swoop in and take passengers into the creeks.
Pirates then demand ransoms from the passengers’ families.
Commander Mohammed condemned the reckless endangerment of passengers’ safety, questioning why boat operators would sail with faulty engines, putting passengers at risk
Mohammed stated:” This is a clear case of willful endangerment of passengers safety. Why would any mariner in his right senses sail with passengers on board in a boat whose engines were outright faulty and unable to sustain an hour’s journey”?
He continued, “And then, we are dealing with recent cases of attacks on the river; what if these criminals had seen and approached them, then taken them captives”?
“what leverage would they have had to escape their assailants? It’s is quite unfortunate that helpless passengers could be exposed to avoidable risks and for the exorbitant amount they pay”?
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The latest incident involved a boat loaded with 20 passengers, including infants, which almost turned fatal. Commander Mohammed described the event as a simulation, stating:
“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.”
Commander Mohammed advised coastal state governments and local government areas to urgently consider deploying ferries on the waterways, especially the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route, as a safer, sustainable, and subsidized means of transport.
This incident is not isolated, as there have been previous cases of pirate attacks and abductions on the same waterway. Just last week, 10 passengers who were abducted by pirates on their way from Bonny to Port Harcourt were freed after four days in captivity.
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, led by Chairman Israel Pepple, protested to the Government House, registering their complaints on the frequent attacks on water travelers by pirates and soliciting government intervention for enhanced security measures.
