As the uproar that greeted the kidnap of businessman, Minafuro Jumbo simmers down, the question arises as to the state of security in Bonny Local Government Area and its environs. Is the security situation improving or nosediving? Are lives more secure on the island or threatened? Is the train 7 project of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited about to commence in Bonny Island assured of security or will investors be justified to be scared of following through with their investments? These are the questions begging for answers.  

There are concerns that, regrettably, the security situation in Bonny Island has not gotten better since the days when armed men used to find their way into the community to rob banks and get away with their loots using speed boats berthed at the waterfronts by the Sandfilled area. The now defunct All States Trust Bank, Hallmark Bank, First Bank, and Ecobank were the hardest hit in those horrific days. These distressing occurrences forced the banks to relocate from Mission Road where they were to where they currently are at the King Perekule Road.

A frightening fallout of this, however, was the birthing of sea piracy along the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route comprising the Bonny River and adjoining creeks. Since it was now impossible to access the banks which were now far off from any river, creek, or waterway, and Bonny being an island, the criminality was now transferred to the sea. Travellers were robbed, raped, maimed, abducted, and, in some cases, even killed out there on the sea. A former youth leader of Bonny Kingdom, Maclayton Halliday was abducted and later killed and his corpse dumped in the river.

Recently, a lawmaker, Prince Wilcox, a businessman and several others were abducted and later released after paying hefty sums of money as ransom. The most recent, which happened just days ago, precisely, on Sunday, January 26, 2020, was the invasion of the home of Minafuro Jumbo, a native of Georgekiri Community in Bonny LGA, by daredevil armed hoodlums, who whisked him away, along with his friend, Lawrence Green, into a waiting boat at the Coconut Estate waterfront just about a kilometre away from his home.

Incessant cases of repeated attacks by sea pirates along the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route became so alarming that it led to outbursts by some concerned youths who took to the streets to demonstrate against the lethargic attitude of the Federal Government and the security agencies in taking steps to curb the growing menace. They declared that should the situation persist they may have to resort to self-help. The efforts of these young men were complimented by another group under the auspices of ‘Enough is Enough!’, which tried to build a critical mass of revulsion against the rising spate of insecurity.

These were followed by another group popularly known as ‘Okoloma Ikpangi’. The latter group took to their social media platforms, calling on well-meaning Bonny youths to come together to see how they can call the attention of the government to help salvage the unfortunate situation the community was facing. They held a protest at the Willbros Road junction but were dispersed by security operatives who said they had to intervene to forestall a deteriorating situation there that could have resulted in hoodlums hijacking the protest. The security agencies also claimed that due process was not followed in organizing the protest, explaining that had the group informed them of the protest they would have advised on the best way to go about it without infringing on the right to free movement of others. But beyond all the rhetoric nothing came out of the various efforts.

Against the backdrop of Bonny Island hosting every aspect of the nation’s security architecture including the Nigerian Army (NA), Nigerian Navy (NN), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Department of State Services (DSS), among others, it is worrisome that the island could be suffering such spate of insecurity. Some opine that the security agencies were there to protect critical national assets such as the economic establishments on the island but that trajectory of thought is faulty. Shell Nigeria’s Bonny Crude Oil Terminal (BCOT), Nigeria LNG’s plant, Mobil Producing Nigeria’s Bonny River Terminal (BRT), Chevron’s facility, among others located on the island are being hosted by the community and this in a benign, passionate and hospitable manner. Have we considered the fallouts of these economic behemoths being hosted by a hostile community?

Given the fact that Bonny remains an indelible cynosure in Nigeria’s economic compass, the reward for her forthrightness, altruism and endearing stance towards these national assets should and must be the security of not only the national assets but the host community that has been bearing the brunt of having these facilities thrive to the economic advantage of the country. The intimidating presence of these security outfits and agents in the community must reflect in curbing the crime rate, nipping criminal tendencies in the bud, identifying and isolating criminal elements, clearing up any hideouts being utilised by criminals, and generally assuring security in the area. Everything has to be done to ensure that crime and criminality and every threat to security in the area is checkmated or brought to its barest minimum.

Recently, certain incidents have raised concerns that the security operatives themselves have become relaxed having being served breakfast, lunch and dinner by companies in the island and always under the air conditioner in turn allowing the job which they were being paid for to suffer. There are concerns that this lackadaisical attitude have been putting the lives of innocent citizens at risk without any form of remorse whatsoever. Rather, they now allegedly use the guns they were supposed to use to protect to hurt and threaten innocent and hapless people. There have been allegations of oppression against the security operatives in the area where they are accused of allegedly using their weapons to compel hapless and unarmed citizens to do their bidding and where such persons attempt to question their actions, the guns are used on them and no one dares talk about it.

Very recently, there was an alleged case between one Mr. Nelson Iwowari, Miss Vera Hart and a soldier at T-Lounge, Abalamabie Road close to Simidia junction. It is alleged that the yet-to-be-identified soldier allegedly shot Nelson because of an argument over the said Vera Hart. Reports have it that the military authorities in Bonny were currently investigating the incident to unravel what actually transpired. The said Nelson Iwowari was said to be receiving treatment at the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital (BMH) in Port Harcourt after being treated initially at Channels Clinic and referred to BMH. Where this is found to be true, it would be quite unfortunate and a wake-up call on the military authorities to rein in their officers and men. The need for them to be focused on ensuring that their tour of duty in Bonny LGA is laced with success stories of how they were able to keep the community safe, secure and peaceful cannot be overemphasised.  

With the expected influx of people into the island in search of greener pastures following the start-up of the Train 7 project and the Bonny-Bodo Road, among other imminent projects, it is imperative that more will happen if nothing was done to scale up the security profile of the area. These projects are already being perceived to have their own inherent dangers as the imminent population explosion is expected to usher in different kinds of characters into this town with their peculiar idiosyncrasies.

On the other hand, the security agencies have also asserted that all has not been gloomy narratives with regards to security in the area. They point to the several successful operations where some of these criminals were either decimated or apprehended, where even their own men sustained injuries or even recorded casualties. They hold that the least form of appreciation for their efforts would, at least, be the acknowledgement that the relative peace being enjoyed in Bonny was an isolated case compared to current situations in other parts of the country and was not a happenstance but an outcome of deliberate, sustained and sacrificial efforts resulting from a functional synergy between the various security services in the area. They further argue that there were several incidents where situations were nipped in the bud upon receiving critical and timely intelligence but every time there was one advertised incident out of many clandestine ones the uproar that greets these was the very least discouraging. Peace anywhere, they assert, was never a happenstance, and Bonny was not an exception.

Concerned observers of the situation, however, have held that aside the arguments for and against the issues under consideration, the security agencies should up their game by focusing on the task at hand. Area mapping of Bonny LGA and its environs, identifying and profiling of criminal elements whether apprehended or at large, analysis and proper comprehension of security threats and their inherent trends, conceptualisation and implementation of appropriate security measures, adequate sensitization of the public, and strategic engagement of relevant stakeholders, amongst other measures were necessary to drive the narrative of ensuring that Bonny and its environs remain safe, secure and peaceful.

Of course, security is cost-intensive and given the inadequate funding paradigm the security agencies have had to deal with, it was imperative for stakeholders in the area to synergize on how to assure funding for the security agencies. Unconfirmed reports have it that there was a security funding pool by the NLNG, Shell, Chevron, Mobil, and others amounting to about N20 million monthly but this is grossly inadequate when the viewed against the need assessment parameters being dealt with by the security agencies.

Specifically, the Nigeria Police and the NSCDC do not have functional and responsive mobility as all their vehicles were outdated and obsolete. Both services do not have any vehicle that could be used in a car chase of criminals. A case in point was the pick van that was decimated by the kidnappers on the night of Sunday during the kidnap fiasco. On the other hand, Bonny is an island community laced with rivers, creeks and rivulets, and these are grossly undermanned. The various intersections around Bonny creeks are not manned thus giving leeway for criminals to stroll in and out at will knowing fully well that before the very few and unserviceable gunboats would be deployed, they would have been through with their operations. Functional operational vehicles and gunboats are seriously needed.

The ammunition cache of the various security agencies remain an apology. Not only are the firearms as carried about by the security personnel out of touch with modern reality, they are few and grossly inadequate. The kidnappers who came for Minafuro Jumbo were said to be flaunting GMPGs, pump action rifles, and several other sophisticated weapons, and even explosives. And people have been wondering that had there been a frontal engagement with these criminals that night would the security agencies have been able to hold out and overwhelm these guys?

In another development, the military outposts across the island are in a sorry state. A case in point is the outpost by Coconut Estate waterside. The place is situated just by the shore and surrounded by marshy land. The outpost itself is a rickety makeshift shack that cannot provide cover during whenever it rains. Residents around the area say whenever there was high tide, the soldiers have to wade through water to get to their outpost or in certain cases reportedly abscond only to return when the river has ebbed. This is disheartening in the least.

To think that the security personnel have to deal with unfavourable and very debilitating environmental challenges to be able to sustain their position in different parts of the community should be a cause for concern by all. Relevant stakeholders need to speedily step in to reconstruct such outposts and provide the security personnel there with the needed environment and resources to be able to sustain their sentry and provide the needed security in those places.

Bottomline remains that whatever needs to be done should be done at once as delays could be dangerous. A stitch, they say, in time saves nine. The earlier we start looking deeply into these issues, and fashioning out relevant, timely and strategic solutions to them, the better for the kingdom, the LGA and its residents.