In the wake of the deteriorating security situation across Nigeria’s maritime environment, government at all levels have been called upon to take decisive and urgent action on securing the waterways, especially, the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route.
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, were specifically charged to appreciate the linkages between the Nigerian maritime environment and the economic sustainability of the country given the fact that Nigeria’s oil and gas investments are situated along the coastal areas.
Elders of Grand Bonny Kingdom in Rivers State, under the aegis of the Titled Citizens’ Assembly (TCA), made this call on Sunday, January 24, 2021, through a statement signed by its President, Professor Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, and Secretary, Amaopusenibo Fred Pepple, and read to journalists by its Provost, Amaopusenibo Vivian Brown.
The TCA, which hinged its call on the terror being unleashed on travelers on the Bonny waterways, said that it was dismayed by “the growing spate of unmitigated attacks by sea pirates on commercial boats and passengers along the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route and creeks which results in the loss of lives and property, grievous bodily harm, rape and abduction of innocent victims”.
The Titled Citizens’ Assembly (TCA) of Grand Bonny Kingdom was formally established in 2006 with Amaopusenibo Louis Aniene Banigo as its pioneer President. It was envisaged to provide advisory support to the Bonny Chiefs Council which has the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom as Head.
Its membership comprise the senior country elders (Amaopuseniapu for males and Amaopuereapu for females) and country elders (Amaseniapu for males and Amaereapu for females). Individually, they are referred to as Amaopusenibo (male), Amaopuorubo (female), Amasenibo (male) and Amaorubo (female). These titles are an exclusive preserve of the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, who confers them on deserving members of the kingdom who are either nominated by their respective Chiefs or picked by the Bonny Monarch himself.
As an indication of its robustness and depth, its current President, Professor Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke was the pioneer Director General of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE). She was previously at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and since her incursion into the Nigerian economic space has continued to contribute immensely to the development of the nation’s economy.
Over the years, it has served as the bastion of stability, fountain of wisdom and supportive repository of Ibani (Bonny) tradition and values. It therefore became imperative for the body to speak out in the face on unabating onslaught of criminals on the Bonny waterways.
Though Bonny Island is host to Nigeria’s economic behemoths, Nigeria LNG, Shell Nigeria, ExxonMobil, and Chevron, among others that annually rake in approximately N1 Trillion by way of taxes, rates and levies inot the nation’s coffers, the waterways connecting it to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital have remained challenged by the activities of miscreants.
These daredevil sea pirates have continued to terrorize the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route, robbing, maiming, raping women, killing and kidnapping hapless travelers. These attacks which have yet to be assuaged by a robust intervention from the security agencies in Bonny remains a cause for concern to stakeholders.
In the statement, the TCA drew attention to the kidnap of five men from Banigo Community on Saturday, September 12, 2020, and the gruesome murder of two young men on the night of Tuesday, January 5, 2021 by suspected criminal urchins.
“We call to mind that five (5) responsible men of our kingdom were abducted on the 12th of September, 2020, and are yet to be released by their abductors, neither are their whereabouts and health condition certain. Only on 5th of January, 2021, two young men were against gruesomely murdered by sea pirates in our creeks in Bonny.”
They, therefore, called on the federal and state governments to act expeditiously to checkmate the trend of attacks on hapless citizens on the waterways.
“With a note of urgency, we call on government together with all relevant agencies to live to its responsibility by rising to the challenge without any further delay.”
The statement is herein below reproduced:
“THE TITLED CITIZENS OF ANCIENT GRAND BONNY KINGDOM
23rd January, 2021
PRESS RELEASE ON THE SPATE OF UNMITIGATED ATTACKS BY SEA PIRATES ON BONNY WATERWAYS AND CREEKS
The Titled Citizens Assembly (TCA) of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom notes with dismay the growing spate of unmitigated attacks by sea pirates on commercial boats and passengers along the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route and creeks which results in the loss of lives and property, grievous bodily harm, rape and abduction of innocent victims.
The TCA hereby strongly expresses its condemnation of the attacks and the seemingly lukewarm efforts of the respective tiers of government and their agencies to track, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of these dastardly acts, knowing the limitations of our traditional institution in security matters.
For all intents and purposes, the success if each of those umpteenth attacks appears to suggest that the people of Bonny have been abandoned to their fate, and therefore, at the mercy of hoodlums and brigands. It is important that we emphasize that Bonny, as host of Nigeria LNG Limited, Shell Bonny oil and gas Terminal, ExxonMobil Gas export terminal and other oil and gas facilities, is the Bread Basket of Nigeria.
More confounding is the loud silence of government authorities and obvious lack of preemptive strategies on the part of the agencies to put a final stop to the malaise. We call to mind that five (5) responsible men of our kingdom were abducted on the 12th of September, 2020, and are yet to be released by their abductors, neither are their whereabouts and health condition certain. Only on 5th of January, 2021, two young men were against gruesomely murdered by sea pirates in our creeks in Bonny.
That this rate of insecurity on Bonny waterways and creeks continues unchallenged, leaves much to be desired in a local government area that has a full operational Naval Base, an Army battalion, two Divisional Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force, as well as formations of the Marine Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Security Service.
In view of the above, and with a note of urgency, we call on government together with all relevant agencies to live to its responsibility by rising to the challenge without any further delay. No community of decent, peace loving people will be happy and remain silent while its citizens are being repeatedly slaughtered, robbed, impoverished, abducted, maimed and traumatized with impunity in the manner our people have been subjected to almost on a daily basis.
Signed:
Amaopuorubo Prof. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, OON,
President, Titled Citizens’ Assembly of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom
Amaopusenibo Sir Fred S. Pepple, General Secretary, Titled Citizens’ Assembly of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom”
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