In exercise of its earlier promise to increase patrols along the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route, 146 Battalion Nigerian Army Bonny on Thursday, December 19, 2024 rescued about 20 passengers from a commercial speedboat that capsized about 2 nautical miles off Dawes Island in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.

In a chat with Kristina Reports, Commanding Officer of the Battalion, Lt Col Oyemade Oyewumi explained that troops of the Battalion encountered the situation in the course of their regular patrols, which had increased in a bid to assure security during the Yuletide season.

“We rescued about 20 passengers after Dawes Island today in the course of our increased patrols. You know we promised to do this earlier and this festive season is critical.”

“Their boat sank somewhere after Dawes Island and we had to intervene immediately we sighted them and I ensured that all of them were brought to Coal Beach safely.”

The 146 Battalion Commanding Officer explained further that “this intervention reinforces our operational readiness to deal with diverse security challenges this period in order to ensure that Bonny people are safe as they celebrate the Christmas and New Year”.

“We’re not resting on our oars; we’re collaborating with our sister agencies and other stakeholders to provide ongoing security across our areas of responsibility.”

He advised operators of the marine transport system in Bonny to be intentional about the safety of their passengers and desist from acts such as overloading, careless driving and lack of compliance with safety regulations.

Checks by Kristina Reports indicate that the rescued passengers have all been reconciled with their families after the incident.