The latest Bille Sea Piracy victim late Mr. Taminoemi Kemuel was committed to mother earth last weekend in the community amidst anguish and wailing.
Speaking with newsmen, the aggrieved octogenarian mother of the victim Madam Deborah Kemuel lamented that her late son would not have met his untimely death if the State and Degema Local Government Council had lived up to their responsibility of securing the water-ways as promised.
Recall that late Mr. Kemuel, a father of six (6) including a set of twins that were just dedicated last month was among the stakeholders that were brain storming recently on how to stop the incessant sea piracy on the Bille – Port Harcourt sea route that even attracted the intervention of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
According to eye-witness account, the latest attack took place on Sunday 25th October 2020 as the passenger boat was returning to Port Harcourt.
The pirates pursued and shot at their boat, asking all the passengers to jump inside the water while the boat and their luggages was taken away.
“As soon as the attackers approached our boat, they started shooting randomly to scare us and forcing everybody to jump in the sea whether or not one knows how to swim.
We were later rescued by fishermen and on lookers when the attackers had gone as the victims were struggling to swim ashore.
Many of us were rescued including one that was hospitalized but Kemuel was not that lucky as he drown before help could reach him,” the witnesses volunteered.
When the sad news reached the Bille community, the angry villagers mobilized against the Army formation stationed in the area for their protection and the Degema LG Council Chairman, Hon Philimon Tony who was advised by a committee raised earlier for this purpose to provide a security boats to parade the waterways.
On Saturday 31st October, 2020 the Bille youths who were protesting over the ugly situation round the town with various placards presented a-4 point demands which includes end sea pirates; ensure early enthronement of their King, Council should take the Kingdom into confidence: let council Communicate outcome of decisions of their meetings to the Kingdom for follow up and to enforce internal security, to the Executive Governor of Rivers State through the Bille Kingdom Chiefs Council.
The places visited included New Cross Exploration and Production Limited and Erotic Exploration and Production Limited facilities including some Bille villages like Touma, Jikeama, Imopeleama, Opu Billeboko, Gogoama etc.
Speaking with the newsmen, the former chairman, Bille Kingdom Community Development Committee (CDC), Asatubo Igbanibo Kemuel who confirmation the victim was his cousin, used the opportunity to strongly call on the State and Degema LG to immediately put a stop to the excesses of the sea piracy in the Bille – Port Harcourt water route as according to him the activities of these pirates are now very regular due to the absence of security checks on their water way, warning that enough is enough as Bille peoples’ lives is involved. Something must be done and urgently too to half the trend.
