The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday, inaugurated six armoured gunboats donated to the Marine Component of the Rivers State police command, to combat crime and criminality in the waterways.
Represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations, Muhammed Ali, the IG said the donation became necessary, following rising complaints about piracy and robbery on the waterways in Rivers State.
The Marine Equipment Owners and Leasing Association of Nigeria, on Monday, petitioned the Rivers State government and IG over the escalating piracy in the waterways.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt, the President of MEOLAN, Chief Hope Ikuku, expressed sadness over the piracy threat to marine operators and the broader economy
Inaugurating the gunboats to tackle piracy, the IG said, his office was inundated with complaints from people of Bonny, complaining of sea piracy and armed robbery along the waterways.
