The Chairman of the Concerned Citizens of Bonny, Victor Ibaningo has called on Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara to urgently intervene and tackle insecurity on the Bonny waterways.

Ibaningo, who also frowned at imposters who are using the name of the organization to heat up the polity, made this call in a statement he personally signed and made exclusively available to Kristina Reports in Bonny, Rivers State.

“Our attention has been drawn to a news broadcast made by one Mr. Stephen Hart under the guise of Concerned Citizens of Bonny.”

“I want to state it clear that the said individual is an imposter and does not belong to our organisation and as such should be treated as a threat to the peace due to his unguarded statements.”

“However, as the Chairman of the Concerned Citizens of Bonny, we have severally engaged the authorities on how to end the issues of insecurity on our waterways; and also calling again on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to intervene to protect travelers onn the Bonny waterways.”

“It is also on this note, we are calling on the State Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, Olatunji Disu, to mandate the Marine Police to tackle the Port Harcourt axis of the Bonny-Port Hacourt sea route as reports have it that most of the attacks are done within the Port Harcourt axis.”

The Concerned Citizens Chairman also used the medium to encourage the naval officers and ratings serving in the Forward Operating Base, Bonny that have over time ensured the safety of the Bonny waterways.

“We are aware that part of these efforts led to the unfortunate demise of the Base Operations Officer of the FOB Bonny, whose death we truly regret and pray for the repose of his soul in the bosom of the Lord.”

“We are aware that the FOB Bonny has consistently supported the Marine Police in Bonny to secure the Bonny axis of the Bonny-Port Harcourt. Nevertheless, their efforts need to be complemented by their counterparts from NNS Pathfinder to ensure total safety be it in the Port Harcourt axis or Bonny axis.”

Ibaningo “sympathized with the victims of the said attacks and to also assure them that the law will surely take hold of those responsible for those heinous attacks on the river”.

Travelers utilizing the Bonny River which is the major sea route between Bonny Island and Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital have been traumatized by rising spate of insecurity on the waterways recently.

About 20 persons were kidnapped close to the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne on Monday, August 19, 2024; another five persons were abducted in the same area on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, while another five persons were also abducted close to Isaka Community in Port Harcourt LGA on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

A commercial speedboat carrying 20 passangers and sailing under the rains capsized close to the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne on Tuesday, August 26, 2024. The victims were rescued by a military personnel sailing in a gunboat belonging to the Joint TaskForce (JTF), also known as Operation Delta Safe and eventually conveyed back to Bonny.

The Concerned Citizens of Bonny stated that “this particular incident was avoidable as the CTC Chairman of Bonny LGA had directed that no boat sails under bad weather conditions. We call for the investigation of the boat drivers and everyone else involved in these incidents”.

A senior official of one of the security agencies in Bonny LGA confided in Kristina Reports, though anonymously, that the security agencies are worried about the situation and would take necessary action to contain the situation with a view to safeguarding the lives of travelers utilizing the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route.