The police in Rivers State have vowed to arrest the suspected pirates who attacked boats and kidnapped no fewer than 13 passengers.
The abduction occurred along the Isaka River in the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to reports, one of the boats was en route to Bonny Island while the other was going towards the Cawthorne Channel in Bille in the Degema local government area of the state when the attack occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
Spokesperson of the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, gave this assurance while confirming the abduction, adding that the investigation was ongoing.
She stated, “What we heard was that 13 passengers were abducted. But investigation is ongoing to rescue them and ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended and brought to book.”
Speaking on the incident, Isreal Pepple, Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter, Port Harcourt Commercial District, added that the pirates took away goods and property worth millions of naira.
He said, “With the information we gathered, it was 13 persons, including the driver. The other boat was going to Bonny with goods; six people were kidnapped from that boat. So, six plus 13 makes 19.”
He stated that the union is contemplating downing tools to compel the government to act, noting that the attacks were getting rampant.
“Like we said last time, we will have no option because the thing is becoming a routine action, such that as they release one, they come back and kidnap again.
“So it is more or less a business for them. So, I think that the Union will go into a meeting, and whatever our decision is, we will implement it.
“We will not be far from downing our tools to attract the government to take action. You can imagine that just between 2 pm and 6 pm, three boats were attacked, 19 persons were kidnapped, and goods and property were hijacked.”
He urged the State Sole Administrator and security authorities to intervene and strengthen security along the state’s waterways.
Pepple bemoaned the non-use of military gunboats supplied by the Rivers State government to secure the waterways.
“The irony of it all is that there are gunboats, but no fuel to operate them. The gunboats are there close to this office, but no logistics are provided for them.
“So we are also calling on the Sole Administrator to try and do something because it is getting out of hand,” Pepple added.
