October 07, (THEWILL) – Barely 24- hours after the fishermen under the auspices Watch Out Cooperative Society in Ibaka, protested against incessant attacks and abductions of their members in the state, gun men suspected to be sea pirates again struck, carting away items worth millions of Naira.
Eye witness told THEWILL that Gunmen struck on Tuesday and carted away items; including: Outboard engines and leaving 25 persons stranded on the high sea, even as they escaped through the coast of Ibaka in Mbo local government area of Akwa Ibom state.
The fishermen had during their protest, called on the President, Mohammadu and security agencies to save them from daily attacks by the Sea pirates.
The lawyer representing some of the fishermen, Oluwajuwon Ogunbiyi who spoke with THEWILL in Uyo on Wednesday said about 25 fishermen aboard the Outboard engine are now stranded at sea because people were afraid to go for a rescue operation for fear of being attack.
Ogunbiyi said “last night around 7-pm we got a report that the Sea pirates attacked two board engines off the coast of Ibaka. Those people are stranded on the waterways. Closed to 20 Persons were in the bigger boat and the other one contained 5 people.
“No one could go there that night for a rescue operation for fear of being attack. These fishermen are still stranded at the waterways. They siezed their Outboard engines and left them there and each outboard engine cost over N2.5m and iam not even sure you will see any of these engines in Nigeria”.
He attributed the frequent attacks on the fishermen to lack of sustained patrol by Naval operatives but commended the state commissioner of police, Andrew Amiengheme for providing a leeway out of the situation.
“The only reason these Sea pirates are attacking the fishermen is because there is no patrol” he said.
He called on the Forward Operation Base Ibaka to intensify patrol on the waterways in order to minimize incidence of attacks and abductions of the fishermen in the state.
However, when contacted the commanding officer, Forward Operation Base, Ibaka Capt. Abu denied the allegations of lack of patrol on the waterways,saying ” I was at the sea yesterday and I only came back this morning”. Any time you come here we will tell you the efforts we have been making”.
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