Four Local Government Areas (counties) in Akwa Ibom State, namely, Mkpat Enin, Eastern Obolo, Ibeno and Mbo are witnessing an upsurge in armed robbery and sea piracy.
Several cases of kidnappings, robbery and killings in the coastal areas of Akwa Ibom state in the past one year has prompted Governor Umo Eno to ask the Nigerian Army to establish an army battalion in Akwa Ibom state.
Mr. Eno made the request on 27th August, 2024, few months after the Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, was mandated by the House of Representatives to establish a military formation in Oron (a coastal community in Akwa Ibom state).
In a telephone interview with TruthNigeria, a resident of Ekpuk (a coastal community in Mkpat Enin Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State), Mr. Gabriel Okwute, said the residents of Mkpat Enin Local Government area (county) are frequently attacked by armed robbers.
“I was living in Ekpuk community with my family until last year when I relocated to my home town in Imo state. After my relocation to Imo state, I continued with my palm oil business despite the risks involved.
“I buy palm oil from a local mill in Ikot Ebak in Mkpat Enin LGA and transport the goods to Ebonyi state where I sell them to make profit.
“These days, business is not moving well again due to insecurity in Akwa Ibom state.
“Many residents of the eight villages in Mkpat Enin Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State have deserted their homes as a result of frequent attacks by kidnappers who have formed a strong gang from neighbouring Etinan Local Government area.
“Recently, Nigerian soldiers stormed the Local government area in search of the kidnappers, but their mission did not yield any positive result as the kidnappers escaped to an unknown hideout through the water ways in the outskirts of the community”, he said.
Mistrust By Militants Over Government’s DDR Led To Sea Piracy In Akwa Ibom
The origin of sea piracy in Akwa Ibom state can be traced to the activities of some militants who were not captured in the Amnesty Programmes of the Late President Umaru Musa Yaradua in 2008, according to a book authored by the former governor of Bayelsa state, Mr. DSP Alamieyesiegha.
In the book titled ‘Managing Youth Unrest in Nigeria’, Alamieyesiegha revealed that some militants erroneously thought that the Federal Government of Nigeria would not be sincere with the Amnesty Programme so they went into hiding in the creeks and refused to surrender their weapons.
Weeks after the commencement of the Amnesty program, according to Alamieyesiegha, these militants emerged from their hide-outs and metamorphosed into sea pirates, attacking people on the waterways.
The amnesty program, through which 3.000 repentant militants were provided scholarships in higher institutions within and outside Nigeria, was launched after the federal government failed to subdue the militants in the Niger Delta whose stock in trade is regular attacks on oil installations and kidnapping of expatriate oil workers.
Although the program which was tagged ‘DDR’ (Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration ) for armed militant groups in the Niger Delta contributed to the reduction of hostilities against the oil industry in the region, there is substantial evidence that violence and restiveness across the oil-rich region, including Akwa Ibom State, remains, according to Felix Idongesit Oyosoro in a scholarly article titled ‘Insecurity in Akwa Ibom State: Issues, Actors and Solutions’, published in January 2021.
Perhaps, one outstanding explanation of the origin of sea piracy in Akwa Ibom state was given by Preye Inokoba and David Imbua. The duo published an article titled ‘Vexation and Militancy in the Niger Delta: The Way Forward’, in 2010 wherein they linked the circulation of small arms in the Niger Delta region to Nigerian politicians who hired thugs and armed them for the purpose of rigging elections between 2003 and 2006.
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