We spend N155,000 monthly for security yet we face pirates – Calabar boat owners

Boat owners in Calabar have decried alleged poor protection from security agencies on the Calabar–Oron maritime route even though they spend, at least, N155,000 per month as levies to the agencies.

The group was reacting to the kidnap of a speed boat carrying 14 passengers including a Navy personnel.

The boat was reportedly going to Oron from Calabar.

Due to the terrible state of the Calabar-Itu federal highway which links other nearby states, increasing numbers of commuters prefer to travel by water to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State under 30 minutes as against 5 hours.

A senior official of the group said who spoke under anonymity said piracy on the route has been rampant.

“For instance, in December 2021, a boat with five passengers was hijacked. A few of the passengers individually paid ransoms of N200,000 before they were released.

“Before then, in 2019, the hijack was on a daily basis which is why we suspended business and protested for about two months.

“The protests took us to the police and navy headquarters in the state. It was as a result of the protests and stoppage of boat operations that the two authorities decided to station their gunboats in the Calabar waters while the naval police stationed theirs on the Akwa Ibom end of the waters to deter militants and pirates.”

The official claimed to support the police, they collectively pay them N5000 daily, amounting to N155,000 for 31 days.

The official insisted that piracy now thrives on the waters and that kidnapping which thrived on land seems to have been shifted to the waters since the anti-kidnapping squad began to make life uncomfortable on land for the kidnappers.

He said the attraction seems to be the speed boat engines which second-hand price goes for over N5m.

“When they carry out a hijack like this we would normally contribute, say N250,000 to secure the release of the boat and its engine but they will never release both the boat and engine. They will collect our money, collect ransoms and still will not give us back our boats.

“We appeal that attention of the security agencies be moved to this direction even though we are not scared”, he said.

Reacting, the Police PRO in the state, Irene Ugbo said their Commanding Officer Marine was yet to officially brief them of the hijack.

As of press time, none of the kidnapped passengers have been rescued.