Sea pirates attack passenger’s boat in Bayelsa

BARELY four days that suspected sea pirates attacked Anyama axis of former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s Ogbia Local Government, carting away over seven-speedboats, a fresh attack occurred again, as the sea pirates have attacked a passenger boat travelling from Koluama to Yenagoa.

The dare-devil pirates abducted a pregnant woman when they shot sporadically and invaded Anyama community; the abducted woman is still in their custody, yet to regain freedom, while the engine speedboats were stolen are yet to be recovered by security agencies.

Confirming the attack on the passenger’s boat, the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Maritime, Lloyd Sese said the suspected pirates shot the pregnant women in the stomach and a young man while the invasion lasted.

He noted that the pregnant woman and the young man was rushed to an undisclosed hospital to save their life, but as at press time, the outcome of the emergency treatment to revive them is still unknown.

According to him, ‘’the passenger boat was travelling from koluama to yenagoa when the pirates launched the attack between Koluama I and II axis on the waterways in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

Continuing, Sese added that the sea pirates also went away with a 200 Horsepower Speed Boat Engine belonging to one Sunday Leimo, as well as the belonging of the passengers on board the boat.

When asked if the passengers have been rescued, He after the attack the sea pirates, familiar with the terrain, meander into the mangrove swamp, and the passengers got a reprieve, as they were rescued by some community youths.

The passengers, it was learnt are presently taking refuge in Koluama II community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

Accordingly, Sese submitted after their ordeal, many are still in shock from the sudden attack launched by the dare-devil sea robbers on the waterways.

alling on the security agencies to spread their dragnet to the waterways over the alarming cases and the recent frequent attacks on
passenger’s boats on the waterways, He noted that without that passengers would not be able to navigate the waterways to the coastal communities.

Sese regretted that the incursion of sea pirates have continue to affect the marine business in the state, adding that another fresh
the incident of pirates attacks resulted in a blockade of the Akassa axis in Brass local government area of the state.

He pointed out that since the report filtered, no boats have returned to yenagoa, as the fear heightened by their presence have prevented passengers from travelling to the state capital, Yenagoa to transact their legitimate business of buying and selling.

‘’Most of the passenger are businessmen and women, others are traders that are supplying the coastal communities with household needs and foodstuffs loading in the passenger’s boat to the different communities in the coastal areas.

The menace of sea robbers would greatly hamper economic activities and business transactions from the state capital, Yenagoa to greater percentage of Bayelsans residing in the coastal communities

To this end, Sese, however, called on security agencies to deploy a marine crack team of combined force of army, navy and the police to rid the waterways of sea pirates and apprehend the sea robbers.