By Ebere Inyama
(Akwa Ibom) Four Local Government Areas (counties) in Akwa Ibom State, namely, Mkpat Enin, Eastern Obolo, Ibeno and Mbo are witnessing an upsurge in armed robbery and sea piracy. Several cases of kidnappings, robbery and killings in the coastal areas of Akwa Ibom state in the past one year has prompted Governor Umo Eno to ask the Nigerian Army to establish an army battalion in Akwa Ibom state.
Mr. Eno made the request on 27th August, 2024, few months after the Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, was mandated by the House of Representatives to establish a military formation in Oron (a coastal community in Akwa Ibom state).
In a telephone interview with TruthNigeria, a resident of Ekpuk (a coastal community in Mkpat Enin Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State), Mr. Gabriel Okwute, said the residents of Mkpat Enin Local Government area (county) are frequently attacked by armed robbers.
“I was living in Ekpuk community with my family until last year when I relocated to my home town in Imo state. After my relocation to Imo state, I continued with my palm oil business despite the risks involved.
“I buy palm oil from a local mill in Ikot Ebak in Mkpat Enin LGA and transport the goods to Ebonyi state where I sell them to make profit.
“These days, business is not moving well again due to insecurity in Akwa Ibom state.
“Many residents of the eight villages in Mkpat Enin Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State have deserted their homes as a result of frequent attacks by kidnappers who have formed a strong gang from neighbouring Etinan Local Government area.
“Recently, Nigerian soldiers stormed the Local government area in search of the kidnappers, but their mission did not yield any positive result as the kidnappers escaped to an unknown hideout through the water ways in the outskirts of the community”, he said.
Mistrust By Militants Over Government’s DDR Led To Sea Piracy In Akwa Ibom
The origin of sea piracy in Akwa Ibom state can be traced to the activities of some militants who were not captured in the Amnesty Programmes of the Late President Umaru Musa Yaradua in 2008, according to a book authored by the former governor of Bayelsa state, Mr. DSP Alamieyesiegha.
In the book titled ‘Managing Youth Unrest in Nigeria’, Alamieyesiegha revealed that some militants erroneously thought that the Federal Government of Nigeria would not be sincere with the Amnesty Programme so they went into hiding in the creeks and refused to surrender their weapons.
Weeks after the commencement of the Amnesty program, according to Alamieyesiegha, these militants emerged from their hide-outs and metamorphosed into sea pirates, attacking people on the waterways.
The amnesty program, through which 3.000 repentant militants were provided scholarships in higher institutions within and outside Nigeria, was launched after the federal government failed to subdue the militants in the Niger Delta whose stock in trade is regular attacks on oil installations and kidnapping of expatriate oil workers.
Although the program which was tagged ‘DDR’ (Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration ) for armed militant groups in the Niger Delta contributed to the reduction of hostilities against the oil industry in the region, there is substantial evidence that violence and restiveness across the oil-rich region, including Akwa Ibom State, remains, according to Felix Idongesit Oyosoro in a scholarly article titled ‘Insecurity in Akwa Ibom State: Issues, Actors and Solutions’, published in January 2021.
Perhaps, one outstanding explanation of the origin of sea piracy in Akwa Ibom state was given by Preye Inokoba and David Imbua. The duo published an article titled ‘Vexation and Militancy in the Niger Delta: The Way Forward’, in 2010 wherein they linked the circulation of small arms in the Niger Delta region to Nigerian politicians who hired thugs and armed them for the purpose of rigging elections between 2003 and 2006.
Coastal Communities Seek Protection By Ex – Militants
Despite the procurement of 14 gunboats in January, 2024 by Governor Eno for use by the state security agents in the fight against sea pirates in Akwa Ibom state, the President-General of Oro Union, Sir Essang Bassey while addressing a press conference in February, 2024, appealed to the state and federal governments to allow ex-militants to join hands with government security agencies in combating sea pirates in Oro coastal areas. (Oro union comprise Oron, Udung Uko, Mbo, Okobo and Urue-Offong Oruko communities)
According to Bassey, “If ex-militants are not engaged to combat sea piracy in the coastal areas, the Blue Economy potentials will remain a mirage.” (The Blue Economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems)
Fishermen Pay $440 To Pirates as Levies On Monthly Basis
Fishermen in the coastal Areas in Akwa Ibom state who venture into the Atlantic Ocean were forced to pay royalties to pirates otherwise they get killed or their boats vandalized.
In a motion titled “Urgent need to stop the continuous killings of fishermen by pirates terrorizing Akwa Ibom State Waterways,” the lawmaker representing Ikot Abasi/Mkpat Enin/ Eastern Obolo Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, Alphonsus Uduak told his colleagues at the federal House of Representatives that fishermen in his state were under the stranglehold of pirates.
He said pirates subject the fishermen to the payment of between N400,000 and N600,000 ($440) monthly as royalties before they can engage in fishing activities in the waterways.
Insecurity Persists Despite Launch Of The DBP
The Federal government of Nigeria had in 2019, launched the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project (DBP), a project which aims to address insecurity and criminality in the country’s territorial waters.
The Deep Blue Project is estimated to have cost $195 million and is designed to oversee all security matters in Nigeria but regrettably, insecurity in the coastal areas of the Niger Delta region persists 5 years after the launch of the project.
Ebere Inyama is an Imo state – based conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
