Just in: Gunmen invade Bonny Island community, kidnap 2 persons

Wednesday, October 2, 2019 6:03 pm

Gunmen (file photo)

… Amarieri Community Development Chairman, CDC, says attack is first of its kind

…Rivers Assembly summons Bonny LGA Chairman

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The whereabouts of two persons are unknown after five masked gunmen at about 5 am today, Wednesday October 2, raided Amarieri community in Bonny Island in Bonny local government area of Rivers.

The attack on Amarieri in Bonny Island is coming barely a week after sea pirates hijacked two passenger boats on Bonny waterways and took away some prominent persons they identified inside the boats, including a Councillor of Bonny Local Government.

Eyewitnesses of today’s attack who called into a Port Harcourt based radio station out of fright, narrated how the masked men forcefully break the doors of residents, beating them up and robbing them of their valuables.

They said the gunmen who did not fire any shots later kidnapped two men who they whisked them away in the boats they used to invade the community.

The Rivers State Police Command is yet to make comments on today’s attack on Bonny Island community, the host of multi billion dollars Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas,NLNG, as at the time of filing this report.

Awajie Onyi , the Chairman Community Development of Amarieri Community who confirmed the robbery and kidnapping incident said it is the first of its kind in the area.

Mr Onyi while condemning the attack, appealed to security agencies to come to the aid of the community, whose residents are mostly fishermen.

“We have not witnessed this kind before of attack before. People are now very scared.We appeal to the Rivers State Government to come to our aid,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly has summoned the Chairman of Bonny Local Government Council, Rogers David, to appear before it and explain the the cause of the deteriorating security situation in local government area.

Bonny Island is situated at the southern edge of Rvers State.

Ferries are the main form of transport to and from the island.

The local language spoken in Bonny Island and Bonny Town is Ibani, an eastern Ijaw dialect.