Business Activities were temporarily disrupted in Bonny on Monday as residents protest incessant attacks by sea pirates on the waterways that connected their community to other parts of the state and country.
Bonny, the host community of multi-billion dollars Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, hence the residents staged a protest calling on state and federal govt and NDDC to find a lasting solution to securing the waterways.
According to the residents in 2020 alone about 13 pirates attacks were witnessed resulting in the killing of seafarers, stealing boats and maiming of passengers on the Bonny waterways.
The Monday peaceful protest tagged #EndSeaPiracy took off from the Coal Beach part of the town with the protesters marching through the streets to the King Perekule Palace, close to Ikuba Square in the Madupolo precinct of the town.
From Ikuba Square, the protesting party marched through the Mission Road and then through Hospital Road to the Secretariat of the Bonny Local Government Council.
The protesters presented a five point demand to the Amanyanabo and natural ruler of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward William Dappa Pepple III, Con, Perekule XI, and the Chairman of Bonny Local Government Area, David Irimagha.
The five point demands include: Setting up and maintain security house boats and gunboats with an ambulance at strategic points along the Port Harcourt-Bonny sea route, Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Rivers State Government should look into the Bonny Ring Road project to aid security in the island villages in Bonny and set up community surveillance team for our sea routes.
During the protest, some members of the community were seen carrying photographs of mutilated bodies of some of past the victims of pirates attacks, like Kingsley Allison who was killed along the creeks at Dema Abbey Community in Bonny waterways.
