Wisdom Halliday, owner of the local cargo boat, popularly known as ‘Cotonou Boat’, which was attacked by a combat helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), says the scenario of the incident was akin to a full scale combat situation in Afghanistan.

In his words: “It was like a war; just like what we saw in Afghanistan. A gun helicopter was shooting at my boat as if it was an enemy boat in a war front”.

He, however, wondered why the Nigerian Military would declare war on his business interest being the only means of livelihood for him and his family.

“I still don’t know why our military declared war on me and my family.”

Halliday came out with these lamentations while rendering thanksgiving to God for saving the lives of his staff on board the attacked cargo boat at the World Rescue Church International, Cable Road, Bonny, on Sunday, August 29, 2021.

He narrated that the boat left Bonny Waterside, Port Harcourt, in the morning of Thursday, August 26, 2021. But, along the way, the engine developed a fault, and another engine was sent to replace the faulty one.

He continued that “on approaching a place known as Dawes Island (Dutch Island), at around midday, very close to a houseboat occupied by Army personnel, a gun helicopter came from nowhere and hovered round the boat three times”.

“At one moment, the occupants, supposed to be military personnel, threw down a rope as if someone wanted to come into the boat from the helicopter. Suddenly, they withdrew the rope and the helicopter flew away. Then, within few seconds, the helicopter returned and opened fire on the boat with ruthless abandon.” 

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“What surprised me most was that the attack happened before the Army personnel in a houseboat. They never intervened. When the gun helicopter left, the Army personnel came to the scene in a speedboat; after seeing all the havoc, devastation and injuries, they left without uttering a word or rendering any help.”

“It was a man who witnessed the incident that came in a canoe and helped flag down a passing boat. That’s when they made calls to inform us. I think their intention was to sink the boat or cause it to catch fire. Then they will claim it was a bunkering boat.”

Wisdom Halliday, who expressed gratitude to God Almighty that no life was lost in the incident, revealed that the victims of the helicopter attack were subsequently taken to a hospital at Okrika, where they were treated after a police report was obtained from the Okrika Division Police Station.

The Bonny based businessman, who appealed to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, and the military authorities to compensate him for the losses incurred as his only means of livelihood has been grounded, stated that the cargo conveyed by the boat included three caskets, iron rods, crates of eggs, bottled drinks, food items and other materials valued at about Ten Million Naira before it was attacked.