The Nigerian Navy Forward Operation Base in Bonny, Rivers State, rescued 20 passengers, including women and children, from a pirate attack on the Port Harcourt-Bonny sea route.
Commander Maksum Mohammed, the NNFOB Commander in Bonny, confirmed the incident and revealed that the Navy had uncovered a new tactic used by pirates to abduct travelers. According to Mohammed, some boat operators were colluding with pirates to stage attacks.
The boat operators would overload their vessels, feign engine problems near river entrances, and then allow pirates to board and abduct passengers.
The recent incident, in which a boat carrying 20 passengers was almost attacked, highlighted the dangers of such practices. Mohammed criticized the boat operators for endangering passenger safety by sailing on faulty vessels.
He said: “This is a clear case of willful endangerment of passenger safety. Why would any mariner in his right senses sail with passengers on board a boat whose engines were outrightly faulty and unable to sustain an hour’s journey?
“And then, we’re also dealing with recent cases of attacks on the river; what if these criminals had seen and approached them and taken them captive?
“What leverage would they have had to escape their assailants? It’s quite unfortunate that hapless passengers could be so exposed to avoidable risks and for the exorbitant amount they pay?.”
The Navy believes that the boat operators may have been involved in a planned attack, as they were encountered twice in known pirate hotspots.
“This is just in case, maybe, there was some kind of a plan because nearly all the kidnap incidents occurred where there was an engine failure or simulation in front of a river mouth, which now resulted in the kidnap as they come out and then pick their victims and carry on.
“We encountered the same boat again simulating another engine failure in front of another river entrance. Simulating another engine failure – as far as I’m concerned, I’ll use simulation – in a place that is also known for kidnap activities.
“It was at that point that we decided to evacuate the passengers onto our boats and continued with the movement”, he added.
Mohammed recommended that coastal state governments and local governments deploy ferries on the waterways, especially the Bonny-Port Harcourt route, to provide a safer and more affordable transportation option.
