Gunmen suspected to be pirates have hijacked three boats and kidnapped 19 passengers along the Isaka River in Okirika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
It was gathered that one of the boats was travelling to Bonny Island while the others were heading for the Cawthorne Channel in Bille in Degema Local Government Area of the state when the gunmen struck on Tuesday afternoon.
The Chairman, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Rivers State chapter, Port Harcourt Commercial District, Isreal Pepple, confirmed the incident.
Sources said during the attack, the pirates stole goods and property worth millions of naira.
He said: “With the information we gathered, it was 13 persons with the driver. The other boat going to Bonny with goods, six persons were kidnapped from that boat, plus 13, making it 19.”
Pepple said the union was planning to down tools to compel the government act on regular attacks by sea robbers along the waterways in the state lamenting that the development was affecting business.
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He said: “Like we said last time, we will have no option because the thing is becoming a routine action, such that as they release the other ones, they come back and kidnap again.
“So it is more or less a business for them. So, I think that the union will go into a meeting, and whatever our decision is, we will implement it.
“We will not be far from downing tools to attract the government to take action. You can imagine that just within 2 pm to 6 pm, three boats were attacked, 19 persons were kidnapped, goods and property were hijacked.”
He appealed to the state Sole Administrator and the security agencies to come to their rescue and improve security along the waterways in the state.
People decried the non-utilisation of the military gunboats, which were donated by the Rivers State government to secure the waterways.
He said, “The irony of it all is that even the gunboats that are there, no fuel to operate them. That is the worst part of it because the gunboats are there close to this office, but no logistics are provided for them.
“So, we are also calling on the Sole Administrator to try and do something because it is getting out of hand”.