Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt
THE Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has decried the incessant pirate attacks on traders and passengers along the Bonny and Andoni waterways in Rivers State.
IYC President Peter Igbifa, in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday, urged the government and affected local government areas to take proactive measures to tame the trend.
Igbifa lamented that travellers were killed, maimed and injured by the bandits who operated freely. He appealed to the military and marine police to set up checkpoints along the waterways to restore the confidence of travellers.
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He said: “These travelling routes have become death traps because daredevil marauding beasts have converted them to their conquered territories and operating at will.
“The criminal activities along these waterways are alarming, barbaric and saddening. Our people travel in fear. It has negatively impacted on economic activities, especially as most people engage in buying and selling as their means of livelihood. This means that they must travel to Port Harcourt through the water to bring in goods to their communities. Unfortunately, they now travel at the mercy of merciless bandits.
“There is an urgent need to sanitise the waterways and dismantle the camps of these criminals. We call on the state and local government to collaborate with security agencies to ensure the safety of our people.”
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