People of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, have condemned the incessant invasions, arrests, and the brutal treatment meted out on Bille people by the Nigerian Military.
Chairman of the Bille Kingdom Council of Chiefs, Chief Bennett Okpoki, who spoke to journalists in Port Harcourt, also condemned the attack on a Bille passenger-boat on Friday, 2nd September, 2022, which left one Mr. Impapamieari Igani dead and several others wounded by gunmen suspected to be sea pirates.
Okpoki, however, disassociated Bille kingdom from the claims by the military that Bille people attacked its personnel, noting that Bille kingdom cannot be victims to pirate’s attacks and same time suspected to have attacked military officers.
He called on the federal government and the State government, the Chief of Defence Staff to urgently intervene in the matter to curb the frequent sea pirate activities on Bille water ways, as well as release those arrested by the military.
“Bille Kingdom is under siege by the Nigerian military. As early as 7.00 am this morning on Tuesday, there was serious gunshots by the military. The palace of the Amayanabo of Bille was also invaded and the king His Royal Majesty I.N.C Herbert and his personal aide, Mr. Damiete Alabo were whisked away by the military, the Army later released the king but left with the personal aide in the company of several others that were arrested till this moment, their whereabouts is unknown.
“It was rumored that after the pirates attack on the Bille passenger-boat on Friday as earlier stated, there was another clash between some men in military uniform believed to be security operatives and some unidentified gunmen whom we suspect to be the same sea pirates that earlier attacked the Bille passenger boat.
“On Sunday, 3rd September, 2022, men and officers of the Nigerian Army stormed Touma, a community in Bille kingdom alleging that Bille people are responsible for the attack on the military personnel on the sea and arrested Ibiba Macdonald and Alawari Alemebo together with a double engine boat.
“Today 6 September, 2022, dozens of soldiers believed to be of the Nigerian Army stormed Bille Town, Headquarters of the Blle Kingdom in many gun boats, broke into houses, shooting sporadically, and many persons injured, alleging that Bille people are responsible for the reported clash with the supposed men in Military uniform. Upon that the King, Amayanabo of Bllle kingdom was ordered to produce the suspects within 48 hours.
“The Bille people are law abiding citizens and have been living in harmony with the 29 tactical battalion of the Nigerian Army.
“The Bille people did not and cannot carry out any unlawful attack on the
Military. Bille has nothing to do with, and had no part in the alleged
clash between the suspected pirates and the uniformed men.
“It is, therefore, worrisome that the Army could give 48hours ultimatum to our King Amayanabo of Bille to produce the suspected attackers and the arms used in committing the crime.
“Our worry is that for the past 3 years, Bille has suffered untold hardship on account of sea pirates attack and little or nothing has been done by our government. As law abiding citizens, we reiterate that if there is any perceived criminal connected to the alleged attack on military personnel, the law should take its course.
“We cannot be victims to pirates attack and at the same time, suspected to have attacked military personnel we have had harmonious relationship with over the years. We strongly suspect that the pirates who attacked our boats and killed Impapamieari Igani (A.K.A Pepekale) must be the same people responsible for the attack on the military personnel. The Bille people are completely innocent of this allegation”.
The Bille Chief Council Chairman further fingered the incessant sea pirate attack on Bille people to Alhaji Asari Dokubo who has severally threatened on social media to deal with Bille kingdom.
“He has been displaying sophisticated arms and other weapons on social media threatening that he will come and finish Bille Kingdom. If anything is happening to us, I don’t think I am far from the truth. I am suspecting strongly that he may have a hand in these attacks.
“For a single individual to parade battalions of boys with arms on social media showing their superiority over the government and the government have not done anything, I strongly suspect that.
“We reported so many pirate attacks incidence to the media, we have lost so many of our wives, daughters and sons, we have cried out severally. The Rivers state government tried it best by directing the Rivers State House Assembly to see how the attacks will be curbed which they did it to an extent and abandoned it.
“I led a delegation of Bille Chief Council to the Deputy Governor of Rivers State where she told us that His Excellency Governor Nyesom Wike has provided ten Gunboats, and we pleaded for two or three of the gunboat be sent to our water ways and we didn’t see anything, that is where we have found ourselves.
“As a kingdom, we have been trying our best to provide security for ourselves, but it is capital intensive because we fund it from our hard earned money”.
On his part, the Public Relation Officer of Bille kingdom Chief Council, Chief Boma Dappa, said four Bille sons have been arrested and whisked away to unknown destination by the Nigerian Army, stressing that the attacks and invasion was immediately reported to the appropriate authority.
Meanwhile, the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt has denied brutalizing residents of Bille community stating that its men are only on cordon and search activities and harassing innocent people in the community.
Public Relations Officer of the Army 6 Division, Major Ike Iweala said the men are on legal mission, saying that the action followed the killing of some its men in the area.
He said: “there is no invasion of any community. However, cordon and search operations are currently ongoing around communities in Bille as a result of the killing of soldiers last week who were on peaceful internal security duties and their weapons carted away and the operation is ongoing with the view to apprehending the perpetrators of this heinous of killing if soldiers and the recovery of their weapons”.
He urged members of the public to give useful information to security agencies especially on issues relating to internal security so as to arrest perpetrators of crime.
