Pirates: Bonny residents take protest to Government House, State Assembly

Ms. Pepple told the Gazette that the youth will return a week after if nothing is done about their demands and the kidnapped victims.

ELFREDAH KEVIN-ALERECHI • January 14, 2021

Bonny Protest. [CREDIT: Twitter]

Indigenes of Bonny Local Government Area in Rivers State on Thursday staged a protest to the Government House and the Rivers State House of Assembly, demanding a secured Bonny waterways.

This comes a day after youth in the community organized a candlelight vigil for victims of sea pirates.

Peoples Gazette reported on Monday that fisher folks in the community are lamenting over the constant attacks by sea pirates with their boat engines worth N1.8 million and other valuables often carted away.

The Gazette on Tuesday reported that youth staged a protest to the palace of the community’s traditional ruler, and the Local Government council to tender their demands to the Chairman and the kinsmen.

While the 5-point demands were delivered to the traditional ruler, the chairman of the council, however, failed to show up, the Gazette learnt.

The protesters who assembled at UTC junction marched to the Government House, thereafter, to the House of Assembly, and to the Press Centre to tender their 5-point demands.

The Gazette learnt that the government assured the protesters their demands will be considered.

Tonye Pepple, one of the protesters said “we were received by the commissioner of youth at Government House, and a member representing the constituency separately at the House of Assembly,” and we were told, “our demands will be looked into.”

Ms. Pepple told the Gazette that the youth will return a week after if nothing is done about their demands and the kidnapped victims.

She sorrowfully pointed out that five men and an underage girl who had earlier been kidnapped is yet to be found.

The protesters’ 5-point demands include; profiling of all boat drivers plying the bonny route, placement of security gunboats on strategic places on the waterways, empowering of security personnel to secure the water, and compensation to all victims’ families, the Gazette reported.

Governor Wike in 2019 launched a special patrol team on land and waterways. But, this seems not to be enough as insecurity on the waterways is now on a rampage, the Gazette learnt.

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