Vanguard (BSV) have threatened to shut down movement, and boat shuttles
of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) should the deplorable
security situation in Bonny Island continue unabated, without security
intervention.
The group who gave this indication has also accused security agencies
especially the Police, Marine Police and Navy of complicity in
protecting perpetrators of crime and violence on the Island.
Spokesperson of the group, Elder Igoni Hailsham, during a press
conference in Port Harcourt said one would have expected the police to
openly condemn, investigate and bring to book perpetrators of such
crimes rather than open their arms to embrace criminal accomplices, a
clandestine move that stinks to high heaven
Hence, they are calling on the Inspector General of Police, and the
Chief of Naval Staff to investigate why the police shield criminals and
the Navy and marine police have refused to act on the wave of sea piracy
on the Island, expressing concerns that those who allegedly involved in
various degrees of criminality and gun-running on the Island are
continuously shielded from public prosecution by criminally minded
security operatives.
Elder Igoni explained, “we have evidence of cult activities on the
Island by two rival groups, the Icelanders and Greenish, according to
him, on October 1st, two members of the Icelanders were seen shooting
live ammunition in the air, leaving used bullets littered around the
floor. Reports were made to the relevant security agencies in the LGA,
but no action to date has been taking. Presently the security is even
aware that one of the persons involved with this shooting and
disturbance of public peace is taking refuge in Oguede one of the
suburbs in Bonny but has deliberately refused to go for him.
For Ibimina Benstowe, a resident of the Island, “it is an irony that the
same group of persons involved with sea piracy, kidnapping, raping and
various other social vices are the same people demonstrating in Bonny
against insecurity.” Who are they deceiving? “It is provocative that on
a daily basis, groups are rising on the guise of protesting for Bonny
kingdom security. The question is on whose interest?”. “There must be
decorum, any organization that is not recognized by the kingdom cannot
protest on their behalf without their approval”, adding that these
misplaced protests amount to total disrespect for his majesty and the
kingdom.
Leaders of the two main cult groups (Icelanders and greenish) have been
alleged to now forcefully collect homage from Okada, Keke, boat and taxi
riders, including from various fuel dumps and are responsible for the
recent wave of sea piracy in the area.
Similarly, Mr. Charles Hart has called for reposting of officers of the
marine police who have served on the island for over two years. He said
some of them had developed serious relationships with the criminals that
they cannot go after them. He said the gunboats are lying fallow while
the boys have continued their raid on defenseless citizens on the sea,
adding that there is a need to put the gunboats into judicious use.
He said Bonny had been a very peaceful enclave in the Niger delta, and
winders why the explosion of criminality now that NLNG train 7 is about
to commence. According to him, Bonny people must be told the security
measures on the ground to stem the wave of criminality. As a people we
are demanding the Environmental Impact Assessment report as it concerns
security, this must be made public to ascertain the preparedness of
security to tackle issues of security beyond the train 7 sites but also
in the entire Bonny kingdom.
In another development, a member of the group, Allswell Pepple there
has been moved for a peace accord between the rival cult groups to stem
the spate of shooting on the island, initiated by a special Bonny
kingdom security team. However, a lot of stakeholders have countered the
move saying that the Bonny kingdom security committee should step aside
and hands-off any peace accord with the cult groups because there is a
gun-running issue involved. They rather advocated that a special
security squad should be brought in to fish out those cultists involved
with arms to stem the tide of criminal tendencies in Bonny once and for
all.
According to Joshack Tobin from the Finima community, he said the last
time a peace accord was reached between cultists a lot of insane
privileges were accorded them at the detriment of graduates who should
ordinarily merit such privileges, thereby giving them undeserving
rights. They say the security forces must do the needful to address this
critical issue.
Finally, the stakeholders wonder why the Special Squad of the Inspector
General Police drafted to troubled areas in the country have not been
sent to Bonny Island in dare need and have been experiencing sustained
onshore and offshore criminality. They said with the NLNG train 7 by the
corner, nothing can be more proper than to draft that special squad to
tackle criminal elements on the kingdom.