Tension gripped parts of Rivers State on Tuesday as women from the Bille community staged a peaceful protest in Port Harcourt, demanding the urgent rescue of eight students abducted by suspected sea pirates while travelling to write their WAEC exams.
The students were among 13 passengers kidnapped on May 6, 2025, when armed pirates hijacked three boats on the Port Harcourt–Bille waterways. The attackers reportedly diverted the victims into nearby creeks, where they have remained in captivity.
Dressed in black, the protesters – under the banner of Concerned People of Bille Kingdom – marched to the state police headquarters and later to the Government House, chanting songs and carrying placards with messages like *“Save our children from pirates”* and *“Our daughters have been raped.”*
One distraught mother broke down in front of Government House, screaming, “Government please help me, my son is inside the bush. Pirates took him.”
Speaking to journalists, another woman, Blessing Alale, described how her mother was previously kidnapped on the same route and released only after a ransom of N30 million, fuel, and food was delivered. She said the latest victims, mostly teenagers, had now missed several WAEC papers.
“This time, it is children. Students on their way to write exams were abducted. How can we remain silent?” Alale lamented.
Janet Adebayo, one of the protest leaders, said in a statement to government officials that the incident had plunged families into fear and uncertainty, calling for immediate military and police intervention along the waterways.
Camp Commandant of the Rivers State Government House, O.I. Gabriel, received the group’s petition and assured the women of swift government action. He said the matter had already been escalated to the Chief of Staff and the Sole Administrator for urgent response.
Meanwhile, police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed that investigations were ongoing and that efforts had been intensified to rescue the victims and bring the culprits to justice.
The Maritime Workers Union has also threatened to suspend transport operations on the waterway if the government fails to act swiftly to improve security.
