As captains of the speedboats they use to ferry passengers between Bonny and Port Harcourt, boat pilots will henceforth be held liable should anything happen to their sails or passengers, security agencies in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State have warned.  

This is one of the resolutions reached at a stakeholders meeting with maritime stakeholders in Bonny LGA on Monday, September 9, 2024 in Bonny, Rivers State at the instance of the Commanding Officer, Nigeria Navy Forward Operating Base (NNFOB), BONNY, Capt. Maksum Mohammed, in concert with his counterparts in sister security agencies.

In attendance at the meeting were the Commanding Officer, 146 Battalion, Nigerian Army, represented by his Operations Officer, Capt. Ernest Nwama; Divisional Police Officer, Bonny Division, Anthony Anyalechi; Divisional Officer, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, represented by his Deputy, Grace Thompson; Officer-in-Charge of the Marine Police, Bonny, Adeniyi Solomon, Chairman, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Israel Pepple, and representatives of the Bonny Marine Transport Association (BMTA), amongs others.

Stakeholders at the meeting, which was in response to the recurrence of sea pirate attacks on the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route, acknowledged the need to beef-up measures to curb attacks on the waterways and also synergize towards intensifying efforts to nip the menace in the bud.

They mandated the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to notify its members that henceforth boat drivers will take full responsibility for the safety of their passengers and ensure proper maintenance of their boat engines before takeoff.

They also resolved to mainstream intelligence gathering and sharing mechanisms, as well as deploy additional patrol boats for swift emergency response to ensure adequate security on the waterways and to enforce the arrest of boat drivers that violate movement beyond 6pm.

Part of the resolution was for the State Chairman of the MWUN, Israel Pepple was urged to brief the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara on the challenges associated with maintaining security on the waterways, while relevant stakeholders agreed to work together to muster support to ensure safer waterways.

He was further mandated to disseminate to union workers and ensure compliance to the following timing for commercial boat movement between Port Harcourt and Bonny sea route, namely, 7AM-8.30AM, 10AM-11.30AM, 1PM-2.30PM and 4PM–5.30PM.

Additionally, the MWUN Chairman is to notify the union members that 1) Violation of the stipulated timings would resort to arrest of offenders 2) Boat drivers are to ensure their boat engines were well maintained and in optimal operational condition and 3) Ensure restriction of movement for non-travellers at the Coal Beach jetty, and 4) boat movements should be in convoy of about three to four boats at a time.

The move by the security agencies in Bonny LGA has been hailed by concerned stakeholders as being in the right direction given the recent incessant attacks witnessed on the sea route by travelers.