Traders who transport their goods through big boats along Rivers/Bayelsa waterways have expressed fear following the rapping of their female colleagues in broad daylight by suspected sea pirates.
The Chairman, Nembe Unit of Big Boat Maritime Union, Dumotonyo Ebiene told our correspondent, that the incessant attacks on them by sea robbers have made many to lose confidence in the business.
Narrating the recent attack on them, the chairman said, “one of our boats was intercepted by these sea robbers. They succeeded in robbing our traders’ money at gunpoint and ended up rapping a female trader.
“In fact, another female trader would have been rapped but was spared because she was menstruating.
“We have reported the matter to the marine police and investigation is ongoing as I speak”.
Chief Ebiene also attributed the inability of security agents to curtail the activities of sea pirates to lack of gunboats.
He said, “We have sought the help of marine police and the Navy but they all told us that they do not have available gunboats to confront emergencies”.
The chairman added at his leadership has made a lot of frantic efforts to the Rivers State Government to help provide gunboats for marine security operatives but to no avail.
He further revealed a sharp drop in revenue due to the activities of sea pirates, maintaining that if the trend is not curbed, their traders will pull out from the business.
