Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel has assured fishermen and other maritime operators of ease of doing business on the coastal waters of the state as measures were being put in place to contain and curtail the menace of sea pirates and other maritime crimes.
Checks by LEADERSHIP revealed that maritime businesses around the riverine communities of Ibeno, Ibaka in Mbo local government area, Uruan, Eket and Oron LGAs, have been disrupted with operators including fishermen forced out of businesses, following incessant attacks by sea pirates leading to the death of dozens of fishermen, seafarers and stealing of several outboard engines.
“We have lost several of our men to sea pirates, who sometimes would throw our men overboard and make away with the boats. Some of the thieves would demobilize the boats and kidnap the outboard engines for ransom, which if not paid within a specific time frame, would be sold out.
“Because of these incessant killings, stealing of boats and seizure of the outboard engines, I have withdrawn from plying the waters for now because of these unrestrained attacks.
“Therefore, we are calling on the government and security agencies to come to our rescue through increased security patrols by Marine Police including the Nigerian Navy and other maritime operatives for peace, and to safeguard lives on the high seas,” Effiong Edet Ating, a fisherman at Ibaka beach in Mbo LGA, lamented.
However, the governor, who took delivery of gun boats from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba, assured that the problem would be mitigated.
He commended the IGP for heeding to the outcry of the maritime operators and charged security operatives on the coastal waters to be decisive in dealing with the menace with a view to returning normalcy to the coastal waters of the state for peaceful maritime businesses to thrive.
“I want to thank the IGP for the gesture of donating the gun boat, which I believe, will further bolster the capacity of the security agencies to effectively policing our waterways to keep it safe for maritime businesses to go peacefully,” he stressed.
