Hundreds of women from Bille Kingdom in Degema local government area of Rivers State yesterday staged a peaceful protest in Port Harcourt, the state capital, over the rise in sea pirate activities on the Bille waterways.
Recall that on May 6, 2025, no fewer than 16 passengers were kidnapped in several attacks by suspected sea pirates along the Isaka River in Okrika local government area and Borokiri Rivers in Port Harcourt City local government area of the state.
It was gathered that out of the number, 13 of the kidnapped passengers, including seven teenagers, who were travelling to sit for their West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination, were going to Bille.
The protesters, all dressed in black marched through major streets in the state capital before going to the headquarters of the Rivers State Police Command, where they submitted a letter to the Commissioner of Police.
They later moved to Government House, Port Harcourt, where they also submitted a protest letter to the sole administrator of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd).
Receiving the letter, a senior security personnel, who identified himself as the Camp Commandant, Government House, assured the protesters that immediate action would be taken on their request.
He said: “The Chief of Staff, Government House, instructed me to collect the letter from you so that immediate action could be taken in respect of the letter. So, you people have to go back to your various places and wait for the action that will be taken.”
Speaking to journalists, one of the protesters, Alali Agbota Blessing, wondered why the sea pirates would abduct children who were going to write their WAEC examination.
She said, “My mum was a victim of the attack. On that day, eight of them were abducted and a ransom of N30 million was paid. After the N30 million, they requested that we buy a drum of fuel, power banks, bread, water before they will release them. We did all that before they were out.
“This one, just on May 6, again; how can they abduct children going to write WAEC? Okay, other ones, they will say they are adults, but these ones are children. Their own siblings are writing WAEC; that means all the papers they have written, these children have missed out.
“That is why the women, they are mothers and I am a mother too, decided to stage this peaceful protest. I am appealing for government’s intervention on abduction by sea pirates along Bille waterways.”
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