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Attacks On Waterways: Bonny Youths Seek Wike’s Intervention
Scores of youths from Bonny Local Government Area, yesterday, converged at the main gate leading to Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt in protest against incessant attacks on boat passengers by sea pirates on the community’s waterways.
For centuries, the people of Bonny Island have not accessed their homes by road except through the creeks and sea, which join the community with other parts of the state.
The youths have been embarking on peaceful protests in Bonny Island since Tuesday, but they decided to storm Port Harcourt, yesterday to make their case before the state governor.
Earlier, the youths had gone to the headquarters of Bonny Local Government Council where they lamented the killing of two young men recently by pirates on the waterways.
But they left disappointed as the council chairman and his officials refused to address them after spending the whole day at the gate of the secretariat of the council.
The youth said they were angry that both the federal and state governments have not shown visible concern about their plight since the protest started.
Bonny, the host of multi-billion-dollar Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), SPDC-operated Bonny Crude Export Terminal, and other multinational oil companies can only be accessed by water.
The contract awarded by the Federal Government for construction of a road that would link the community with other parts of the state has suffered several setbacks due to inadequate funding.
Speaking to journalists in front of Rivers State Government House main gate in Port Harcourt, some of the youths vowed that they would not leave until Governor Nyesom Wike addresses them on concrete steps he would take to ensure adequate security on Bonny waterways.
One of the protesters, who simply gave his name as LongJohn Hart, said they were grateful to the governor over the recent commissioning of Bonny-Bille-Nembe Jetty in the Creek Road area of Port Harcourt.
But he queried, “What happens to us and our people along the insecure waterways when we take off from the jetty to and fro Port Harcourt?”
It was observed that the protesters carried placards of varying inscriptions, including #StopkillingofBonny people,” “Gov Wike, life is biggest project,” “Secure our Bonny waterways”, “We have lost too many lives”, and others.
As at the time of filing this report, the peaceful protesters were still at the protest venue.
However, in a bid to fight insecurity in the state, including on the waterways, Governor Nyesom Wike had launched ‘Operation Sting’ about a year ago, and donated gunboats and over 120 patrol vehicles to security agencies.
But despite this, insecurity has persisted on the waterways with frequent killing and robbing of passengers by pirates.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.