It’s been nearly three weeks since pirates seized two passenger boats along the Port Harcourt–Bille waterways, dragging 13 passengers—eight of them schoolchildren—into the creeks. Today, their families are clinging to hope and calling on authorities to bring their loved ones home.
The victims, taken on May 6 in Degema Local Government Area, were headed to sit for their WASSCE exams when the attack occurred. Now, the abductors are demanding ₦100 million for their release—an impossible sum for the largely riverine community.
“These children were on their way to secure their future,” said Dr. Osaki Miller, a native of Bille Kingdom and former youth president of the community.
Dr. Osaki Miller stood before reporters in Port Harcourt on Friday, visibly weighed down by the fear and frustration consuming his community. With a strained voice, he spoke on behalf of the distraught families in Bille Kingdom, whose loved ones, many of them students, were taken by pirates nearly three weeks ago.
“The kidnappers are now asking for ₦100 million,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Where do you expect fishermen and farmers to get that kind of money?”
“We’re not demanding miracles,” he said. “We just want the government to act. We are calling on Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the State Sole Administrator, to help us. These are our children—we can’t sit back and do nothing.”
Another resident of the area, Mr. Fibite Bibi, a former chairman of the community, disclosed that a security guard who was among the abducted has been released.
“But the others are still out there.”
“Students who should be in classrooms are being held in the creeks. These criminals are putting a price on their lives. We don’t have the means to pay it.”
In response to the growing public outcry, the Rivers State Police Command issued a statement through its spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko.
She assured the public that a coordinated effort was underway.
