ICYMI: Tears And Blood In Bonny Island As Residents Call For Deployment Of IGP Tactical Squad

The renewed violence and pirates attack in troubled Bonny Island, Rivers State, have thrown up question whether the Island is still safe for the multi-billion dollar Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 project.

BIGPEN reports that this is coming as a youth group, United Peoples Congress, Grand Bonny Island, raised the alarm that the almost everyday killings and kidnapping going on in Bonny Island was because of the upcoming NLNG TRAIN 7 PROJECT.

There have been serious tension of possible arm build up in Bonny ostensibly because the distraught locals have become frustrated with attacks and killing of their sibs.

Sources said that there have been apprehension in Bonny, a Rivers State Local Government Area that can only be accessed through the high sea.

The town which play host to multiple oil and gas facilities, has no link road. A Federal Government’s N120 billion Naira, 37-kilometer bridge to connect the Island to mainland Rivers State is yet to be completed.

The development makes Bonny a haven for maundering pirates who feast on the little resources of the locals.

BIGPEN had reported that the development is the reason for the renewed protest march in Bonny. The protest which escalated on Monday follows the 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.

On Thursday, the residents of Bonny returned to the streets for a fresh protest but this time they stormed the Government House and Rivers State House of Assembly in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The protesters are calling for an immediate end to the attacks and killings on the Bonny Island waterway by pirates.

The protesters, mainly the youths marched from UTC junction on Azikiwe road to Government House Port Harcourt to register their grievances and to the Rivers State House of Assembly where the member representing Bonny Constituency, addressed them., according to report.

Part of their demands is for the government to set up security checkpoints on the Bonny high sea and empower security agencies to tackle violent crime.

The Rivers State Government in July 2019 launched a special security initiative, codenamed “Operation Sting” in which patrol vehicles and gunboats were donated to security agencies to tackle violent crimes on roads and waterways in the state.

The Rivers State Police Command last week deployed 366 special constabularies to various localities for its community policing initiative, but the Bonny protesters say there has been no improvement in the security situation in bonny.

It was not clear how the renewed attacks mainly by pirates in Bonny, is connected to the ongoing project but the United Peoples Congress, Grand Bonny Island youths in a Save Our Soul (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 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 NLNG expansion programme – NLNG Train 7 Project which promises to increase production capacity by 35% from the current 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (mtpa) to 30mtpa, will ensure that Nigeria, with its significant gas reserves (202 tcf of proven gas reserves, the 9th largest in the world) remains a top, reliable and preferred supplier of LNG in the ever-expanding energy world. 

The youths are however demanding immediate deployment of the Inspector General of Police Tactical Squad to Bonny Island before the commencement of the NLNG Train-7 mega project.

The youths are demanding that the IGP Squad should be deployed to start operation before any mobilization on site by the NLNG consortium contractors.

Meanwhile, Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy President of the Senate, on Community Affairs Conflicts Resolution and Local Content Matters, Prince Christopher Akpojotor Agaga, allayed concern that NLNG project in the area is under threat with the incessant killing and violence attacks by pirates in Bonny.

Agaga, in a telephone conversation said that he has, on behalf of the Deputy President of the Senate wade into the issue following a petition by youths from Bonny rooting for the deployment of IGP Joint Tactical Squad to the area.

He expressed optimism that there would be improved security in Bonny in coming days, assuring the youth groups that there is ongoing meetings between the Inspector General of Police, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, his office as well as NLNG’s management over the worsen insecurity in Bonny island.