Sea Piracy: Boat Owners Urge Navy To Deploy Gunboats

Boat owners in Rivers State have urged the Nigerian Navy and Marine Police to deploy the 14 ballistic gunboats donated to the security agencies by Governor Nyesom Wike to curb piracy and other criminal activities in the State’s seaways.
Stating that the ballistic gunboats should not be used for commercial purposes, they urged the authorities to ensure that the boats are used to “comb the creeks and channels of the waters to curb illegal oil refining and piracy”.
A Marine Safety Officer, Comrade Kins Dimkpa, who stated this in Port Harcourt in an exclusive interview, said the 14 ballistic gunboats donated by the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike should not be commercialised by security agencies.
The gunboats, he said, “should be judiciously used to save lives and aquatics and not for selfish gains”.
He appealed to the Nigerian Navy and the Marine Police to ensure that the boats serve the purpose for which they were donated and not personalised.
While commending the Governor for the donation, Dimkpa noted that the ballistic gunboats will help in curbing illegal crude oil refining in the State and end sea robbery in our rural communities.
The Safety Officer appealed to the security agencies to ensure regular patrol of all the creeks, channels and waterways to curb all forms of criminal activities in the waterways in of the State.
He used the opportunity to warn boat drivers who indulge in overspending, saying that anyone caught would be sanctioned for six months.
Dimkpa also appealed to security agencies, especially the Nigerian Navy and Marine Police, to arrest and prosecute any driver caught over speeding, overloading and and those involved in reckless driving.
The mariner called on boat passengers to always wear their lifejackets before boarding a boat to save their lives, especially during accident.
Recall that the State Governor specifically charged security agencies to use the gunboats to tackle the menace of sea piracy and illegal bunkering activities within the state.
He also assured on his administration’s commitment to the fight against illegal bunkering in order to reduce soot and oil theft.

By: Chinedu Wosu