Traditional Chiefs In Rivers Accuse Military Of Seizing Passenger-Boat, Occupants In Lieu Of Criminals

The Bille Council of Chiefs in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State has accused the Nigerian Navy of arresting and detaining a passenger boat traveling to Port Harcourt from Bille.

According to the chiefs, security operatives who intercepted the boat they were travelling in asked the chiefs to hand over some personnel of a local vigilante in Bille before the passengers would be released.

Ben Dokubo, the Chairman of Bille Council of Chiefs, told journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday that they were being escorted by the vigilantes for fear of being attacked by pirates on their way to Port Harcourt from Bille, when their convoy was approached by two military gunboats.

Chief Dokubo said, “We, as the chiefs and elders of the community, explained to them that we were Bille people and not criminals; that the criminals are fighting us, we had not seen them.

“These people wanted to know why we were using escorts. But of course, we were not carrying anything illegitimate or illegal.

“Because they were not able to reach the escort boat, they impounded an innocent passenger boat from Bille, saying unless the escort boat returned to them, they would not release the passengers.”

He further alleged that the local vigilante in Bille had been profiled by security agencies in the area, including the police and the Department of State Services.

But speaking on the accusation, spokesman of the Nigerian Navy Ship, Pathfinder in Rivers State, Lt.-Commander Richard Iginla, said the incident was being investigated.

“Yes, we heard of it. But neither the Nigerian Navy Ship, Pathfinder, nor the Navy Command in Bonny knows anything about it. However, we are investigating to find out what really happened.”