Bayelsa stakeholders lament spate of piracy, kidnapping on waterways

Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa

Stakeholders in Nembe and Brass local government areas of Bayelsa State have cried out over the incessant cases of piracy and kidnapping on their waterways.

The stakeholders lamented during a news conference in Yenagoa, on Monday, that no fewer than 13 of their residents had been abducted by suspected sea pirates and kidnappers in the last two months with many still being held hostage.

The stakeholders in a meeting presided over by a former Deputy Speaker, Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Chief Victor Sam-Ateke, they said the heightened attack and kidnapping in the past few weeks indicated a new trend in the criminal act.

Sam-Ateke, who read the communiqué drafted by Prof. Kingsley Alagoa-led Communique Drafting Committee, said the people of Brass and Nembe LGA had agreed to eliminate piracy and the kidnaping within their territory.

He said the stakeholders had resolved to set up a Nembe Security Network (NSN) to assist the security agencies in gathering and sharing intelligence, patrolling and securing the waterways and arresting and handing over identified pirates and kidnappers to the appropriate security agencies.

He also said that an advocacy and sensitisation committee would be set up to visit community leaders and engage them with a view to fishing out pirates and kidnappers, stressing that the committee would engage government and the security agencies to fish out the criminal elements in the state.

Sam Ateke said: “We also want to warn the pirates and kidnappers strongly to keep-off Nembe and Brass LGA waterways or face the wrath of the law and the ‘gods of our land’.

“We also demand the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages in their custody.

“We, however, appeal to the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to come to the rescue of the Nembe/Brass people.

“We also call on the Commander, Operation Delta Safe; the Flag Officer Commanding, the Central Naval Command, the State Director of Department of State Services and the Commissioner of Police, Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to support this effort aimed at bringing peace and security to the state.

“We, the stakeholders appeal to well-meaning individuals from Nembe/Brass, the international oil companies (IOCs) and other Nigerians to support the efforts being made to enthrone safety along the waterways.”

Sam-Ateke said although the motives of the pirates and kidnappers had yet to be known, their activities pointed towards economic strangulation, particularly on the people of Brass/Nembe councils.

He recalled that their nefarious activities involved waylaying of speedboats conveying travelers to Akassa, Nembe, Twon Brass, Okpoama, Odioama, Fantuo, Egwema, Nembe Creek, Okoroma, Oluasiri, Sangana, Opu-Okumbiri, Oginibiri, among others.

He stated: “When these boats are waylaid, either the outboard engine is carted away, goods taken away and in most cases passengers kidnapped. In some cases, women kidnapped were repeatedly raped. As we speak, five persons are in the hands of the kidnappers. Eight were released last week totalling 13 persons kidnapped from January 1 to date.

“They also waylaid fishermen on fishing expedition and forcefully take their outboard engine from them at gunpoint. Pirates have on several occasions waited for fishermen in the Atlantic Ocean at 2:00am and dispossess them of their outboard engine and leave them to be tossed by waves till help come their way.

“This also happens in the creeks of the two local government areas. An investigation conducted in the two LGAs of Bayelsa State alone showed that between 2018 and 2020 no fewer than 150 outboard engines ranging from 8 HorsePower to 115 HorsePower were taken from fishermen and commuters.

“In recent times, they attack local boats conveying food items and other goods and cart away bags of rice, garri, beans and yam etc. They have recently sent a message through fishing port dwellers that they will turn their focus to local hand polling canoes.

“From the activities of these criminal elements, we the people of Nembe and Brass have concluded that the pirates have declared war on us, and we cannot fold our hands and watch them force our people into hunger and starvation.”

Sam-Ateke said that from intelligence report, they had gathered that the pirates were mostly from neighbouring local government areas assisted by some criminal elements from Brass and Nembe LGAs.

He added that ransom collected in some cases were allegedly shared to the various quarters in their communities to prevent the people from reporting their nefarious activities.