Tension Mounts Bonny Island As Youths Protest Incessant Pirate Attacks, Killings

• Calls For Deployment Of IGP Tactical Squad For NLNG Train 7 Project

There is growing tension in Bonny Island as hundreds of youths protest Pirate attacks and killings in the oil rich community.

BIGPEN reports that the development stemmed from latest attacks on the waterways on January 5, 2021, when two indigenes drowned in the river after pirates attacked their boat.

According to the protesters who trooped to the streets in their hundreds, the pirates after the attack made away with valuables from the passengers, and asked them to jump into the high sea.

Brandishing the list of names of victims of the attacks which dates back to 2015, the Bonny protesters, insisted that there has been no improvement in the security situation in bonny.

BIGPEN understands that Bonny Local Government Area can only be accessed through the high sea, as the Federal Government’s N120 billion, 37-kilometer bridge to connect the Island to mainland Rivers State is yet to be completed.

The development have made kidnapping and killings in the waterways an every day occurrence as Pirates terrorize the locals and disrupt their means of livelihood.

Meanwhile, a youth group, United Peoples Congress, Grand Bonny Island, has called for the immediate deployment of the Inspector General of Police Tactical Squad to Bonny Island before the commencement of the NLNG Train-7 mega project.

In a Save Our Soul letter dated January 6, 2021 and addressed to the IGP, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, the youths are demanding that the IGP Squad should be deployed to start operation within seven days before any mobilization on site by the NLNG consortium contractors.

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They claimed that the almost everyday killings and kidnapping going on in Bonny Island was because of the upcoming NLNG TRAIN 7 PROJECT.

The youth in the SOS letter which was signed by Comrade Dayi Pepple (President) and Comrade Adanye Pepple as Secretary, said that the NLNG project is already being threatened with the failure of NLNG management to key in into the IGP Joint Tactical Squad designed to provide total security coverage both on land and the waterways throughout the NLNG TRAIN 7 PROJECT.

The letter read in parts; “We the entire youths of Grand Bonny Kingdom are on behalf of ourselves and the elders and youths writing this letter in tears and fear for the almost everyday killings and kidnapping going on in our land because of the upcoming NLNG TRAIN 7 PROJECT.

They said that the dreadful act which started initially through piracy was never experienced in Bonny Island at the verge of award of contract of the NLNG Train 7 project.

They accused the management of Nigeria LNG Limited of being insensitive to the plight of the locals who bear the brunt of sea pirates, saying “the company has never cared for the security of the original owners of the land where they are operating”.

The youth group, in the SOS letter claimed that the management of Nigeria LNG Limited  “only concerned about the people working inside their yard and using chopper when coming or going out of their yard/site in Bonny, and leaving our people to suffer and die inside the community and when traveling to and from Port Harcourt through the waterways everyday”

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The claimed that all efforts by the Inspector General of Police and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police  as well as the office of the Deputy President of the Senate through his SSA on Community Affairs Conflicts Resolution and Local Content Matters, to meet with NLNG’s management over the worsen insecurity in Bonny island have been thwarted over time.

According to the youths, as part of efforts to strengthen security in the area, the IGP had some time ago dispatched one Assistant Commissioner of Police Usman Magaji to visit “our King (the Amanayanbo of Grand Bonny Kingdom) to introduce the proposed Security outfit which is designed to rejig and give a total security structure/management of any occurrence in and around our community before, during and after the NLNG TRAIN 7 PROJECT.

“The story of their visit ushered a great relieve to our people and joy in the heart of our King made him to graciously instruct some members of our council of chiefs and also the local content compliance Committee to join them on their Security planning meeting with Daewoo and Saipem in the Rivers State Police Officers Mess with the believe that the IGP Joint Tactical Squad will from the next week come into the community to start meeting with the youths and elders of the Community.

The letter however noted that Youths of Grand Bonny Kingdom are completely prepared to work with the IGP Joint Tactical Squad to provide total security coverage both on land and the waterways throughout the NLNG TRAIN 7 PROJECT.

The youth said that the SOS letter became necessary “because the Inspector General of Police who we gave us hope in August/September had deliberately abandoned us and seems not bothered if our people are killed”.

“Attached is a list of all the recent attacks on Bonny Kingdom and a critical point to note is that the Kidnappers struck again just last night in our Kingdom.

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“Based on the above, we the youths of the Grand Bonny Kingdom has decided to officially request that the River State Commissioner of Police use his good office to please inform you that we need the immediate mobilization into our community and waterways of the proposed Security outfit led by ACP USMAN MAGAJI and the Coordinator (the SSA to the Deputy President of the Senate) who both met with our King”.