– Protest at government house
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Tension has gripped Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State as 10 schoolchildren and three other passengers remain missing after a brutal sea piracy attack that occurred on May 6, 2025.
The victims, mostly students en route to write their West African Examination Council, WAEC, exams in Port Harcourt, were abducted when armed pirates intercepted their speedboat and diverted it into the creeks.
Outraged by the recurring attacks and the security agencies’ perceived inaction, scores of women from Bille Kingdom stormed the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt on Monday, demanding swift and decisive action from the state’s Sole Administrator, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
The protesters, dressed in black, carried banners and chanted solidarity songs as they called on the government to address the growing insecurity along the waterways that has left riverine communities vulnerable and economically crippled.
The protesters, under the banner of Concerned Mothers of Bille Kingdom, appealed to security agencies and the Rivers State Government to immediately deploy patrol teams to secure the volatile waterways.
“It’s been one week since 10 schoolchildren and three others were taken. They were heading to sit for their WAEC exams when sea pirates struck. As we speak, the whereabouts of these children and their boat operators remain unknown. Families are in agony. We can’t live like this anymore,” said one of the protesting women identified as Janet.
Another protester, Miss Alalibo, shared a harrowing personal experience, revealing that her mother was abducted along the same Bille waterways just weeks ago.
“We paid N30 million in ransom. That wasn’t all, they asked for a drum of fuel, water, and even bread before they released them,” she said tearfully. “Now children going for their exams are taken? That means they’ve missed their WAEC. What kind of life is this?
“We are not asking for too much. We want the government to take this matter seriously. We want a relationship with the Navy and the Police. We need daily patrols on our waterways to protect lives.”
Responding on behalf of the state government, Camp Commandant of the Rivers State Government House, I.O. Gabriel, who received the protesters, conveyed the administrator’s sympathies and assured them of prompt action.
“The government is fully aware of the situation and will act accordingly. You will soon see results,” he assured.
The Bille incident is the latest in a string of maritime kidnappings that have plagued the oil-rich but poorly secured creeks of the Niger Delta, reigniting calls for comprehensive maritime security reforms in the region.
