The Senate, on Thursday, alerted the nation to escalating insecurity on the Bonny-Port-Harcourt waterways as activities of sea pirates escalated on the water leading to abductions, killings and raping of Nigerian women and girls.
This comes days after attacks on the waterways left a councillor and another prominent indigene of the island abducted by unknown gunmen.
The senate also charged security agencies to step up their surveillance on the waterways to curb the menace of the pirates.
The intervention of the red chambers followed a motion on piracy attacks on the Bonny-Port-Harcourt sponsored by Senator representing Rivers West, Betty Apiafi.
“This unprecedented challenge on the Bonny-Port-Harcourt waterways have put many travellers at risk and almost on a daily basis armed bandits kidnap commuters,” she said.
Apiafi added that the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLG) would soon commence its Train 7 project along that route, adding: “This will increase traffic along the waterways and put more lives at risk.”
Apiafi, in her motion, recalled how pirates attacked four boats on September 26, 2019, dispossessed the passengers of their property and kidnapped some of them.
George Sekibo, senator representing Rivers East who seconded the motion drew the attention of the senate to the activities of pirates, which he stressed had led to the abduction, killing and rape of Nigerians using the waterways.
The senate, however, mandated its Committee on Works to ensure adequate funding in the 2020 budget for the completion of the Bonny–Port Harcourt waterways.
