Worried over the incessant criminal activities and harassment of passengers and commuters who operate in the Bayelsa State Maritime sector, a staff of the sector have lamented the ugly trend. They called for federal and state government quick intervention to rescue them from the menace.
Mr. Ogoniba Ipigansi, the Secretary of the maritime sector of Bayelsa state who in a chat with journalists at Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State decried high level of piracy and criminality at the waterways described it as the biggest challenge staff of the sector were facing.
According to him, criminals have constantly invaded travelers on their way to their various destinations on the sea, carting away all their belongings, including handsets and money, “sometimes they took the ship masters boat engines and disappeared into tin air as any passenger who struggles with them to recover his or her belonging always meet their untimely death because the hoodlums operates with their guns.”
Mr. Pigansi who spoke on behalf of the chairman and staff of the maritime sector recalled the latest incident of criminality on the 4th February 2013 when criminals invaded the area, collected the belonging of passengers and wounded some of them who were later took to hospitals.
The secretary of the sector who further disclosed that the matter has been reported to the Bayelsa State government to intervene in the matter in several occasions said the state government have been making empty promises of providing maritime boats which has not yields any fruitfulness.
He however called on the federal government as a matter of urgency to provide gun boat and set up tight security in the area to check the trend. ###
Emeka Jilly Ejiowhor
