The last may not have been heard on the issue of security on Nigerian waterways as daredevil pirates have again attacked a passenger boat travelling from Port Harcourt to Bille in Degema Local Government area of Rivers State.
The incident which happened on Sunday, October 25, 2020 has left one person dead and several others missing.
A former Chairman of Bille Kingdom Community Development Committee, Asatubo Igbanibo Kemuel, in a chat with Kristina Reports, bemoaned the activities of the daredevil pirates, noting that the situation calls for concern and concerted action from relevant stakeholders, especially, the security agencies to smoke out the criminals.
According to him, a father of six, Tamuno Kemuel lost his life in the attack, while valuables and a speedboat was carted away by the pirates.
He called on the Rivers State Government and security operatives to spread their tentacles and put a stop to the excesses of the sea pirates, saying that pirates’ activities are now regular due to the absence of security checks.
A security consultant, who spoke to Kristina Reports on the condition of anonymity, called for a robust security action on checkmating the activities of criminals on the waterways around the State, adding that the government must be proactive in addressing security issues.
The issue of assuring security on Nigeria’s maritime environment has become topical in recent times with the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) promising to escalate measures to checkmate the activities of sea pirates who have continued to terrorize the waterways across the country.
Despite these promises and the acclaimed efforts of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike in that regards, travelers across the riverine communities of the State are still living in dread of sea pirates who attack at will and without any qualms.
And this has been without prejudice to the recent anti-piracy law, the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill, signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari recommending life sentence or fines of up to N500 million for culprits.
Specifically, the law, which aims to prevent and suppress piracy, armed robbery and any other unlawful act against a ship, aircraft, and any other maritime graft, howsoever propelled, including fixed or floating platform, recommended various punishments for piracy, armed robbery, and other maritime-related offences ranging from life imprisonment to fines of N500 million, N250 million, and 12-15 years imprisonment, depending on the gravity of the offence.
Maritime piracy remains one of the biggest crimes in the industry, which causes immense financial losses, physical harm to crew members, and is probably the most notorious maritime crime and a major threat to maritime security.
Please our government should do something in order to ensure security is in place. Please