Fear has gripped the people of Oron and Mbo Local Government Areas (LGAs) as well as some adjoining areas in Akwa Ibom State as sea pirates numbering over 700 invaded and kidnapped five persons in their communities in the early hours of Saturday.
Blueprint gathered that the invaders also catered away nine boats alongside outboard engines thereby making transportation on the Oron-Calabar waterway difficult as boat operators and commuters feared for their lives.
A source from the community said that the pirates, who stormed the fishing community of Ibaka in Mbo LGA, shot sporadically to scare fishermen and other people in the locality, alleging that the location where the boats and engines were seized was close to the Naval base.
Another source also alleged that the assailants met no resistance from naval officers while attacking the Oron community.
The source said after operations, the pirates left behind a phone number to aid the communication with the owners of the seized engines for negotiation of ransom.
“Each engine is said to be worth up between 6 million Naira to 8.5 Million Naira while a fairly used one goes for about 3 Million Naira depending on the horsepower rating.
“The pirates usually accept a ransom for seized engines but not in all cases as they sometimes sell the engines in other states in Nigeria, or neighbouring countries,” the source added.
A visit to the Ibaka community by our Blueprint correspondent revealed that some open stalls at the beach were deserted as few traders were seen displaying their wares which included fish, crayfish, and other goods at stalls along the Oron beach road.
A boat operator at Ibaka who identified himself as Bassey Effiong said activities of the pirates have heightened in the area despite the presence of security agencies.
“As you heard, Ibaka is not safe for us fishermen and people who come here for business. Sometimes we give the navy people some money for their upkeep but they cannot defend us.
“Even the pirates, some of us pay them to allow us to do our work, but they always come back to kill and sometimes take away our engines. I want the government to look into this and bring a permanent solution to this problem,” Effiong stressed.
A fish and crayfish trader, Mrs. Utibe Matthew, who said she came in from Uyo to purchase goods at Ibaka, also decried the ugly development in the area.
“I am disappointed because the quantity of crayfish and fish that is available is below what I expected. I have a stall at Akpan Andem market in Uyo, and demand is very high. Insecurity should be addressed for full-fledged economic activities to resume,” she stated in Ibibio vernacular.
A community elder who pleaded for anonymity said the spate of attacks has grown for over 10 years now.
He alleged that the security agencies in the area were either running away or not interested in confronting the pirates.
When contacted on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon, said he was yet to be fully briefed on the incident, promising to get back to our correspondent after ascertaining the information.
“I do not have any information about the incident but I will find out and get across to you,” he
