Rivers fishermen continue protest over colleague’s death

Protesting fishermen have blocked the creek which allows access to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas boats conveying staff members to its operational base in Bonny Island, Rivers State.

This came after the police teargassed them from barricading the company’s entrance where they laid siege on Monday and Tuesday at the entrance of the NLNG corporate headquarters along Amadi-Ama in Port Harcourt following the death of their colleague, Precious Imabibo. The company alleged that the fisherman drowned after a speed boat belonging to it destroyed their boats and fishing nets in January.

According to Metro reports that the protesters used five large wooden canoes to block the Amadi-Ama creek thereby preventing the company’s boats from accessing the Port Harcourt to Bonny routes.

The protesters, who are members of the fishermen’s association from Amadi-Ama, Koku-ama, Teria-ama and Marine base in Port Harcourt, had mounted the barricade in continuation of their protest to demand compensation for the family of their late colleague.

They claimed that their boats and fishing nets were destroyed leading to the death of the 27-year-old Precious.

The fishermen and some sympathisers had embarked on a two-day protest where they sealed the entrance to the corporate headquarters of the NLNG earlier this week but were forced to flee after a team of armed policemen teargassed them, seizing their chairs and canopies.

Speaking to According to Metro on Thursday, one of the fishermen, Albert Paul, expressed annoyance that since the death of their member, the company had not shown concern by reaching out to the family.

Paul further said they resorted to blocking the creek on Wednesday after the police dispersed them with teargas on the second day of the protest at the entrance of the company’s corporate headquarters at Amadi-ama in Port Harcourt.

Paul said, “Since the man died, the NLNG has not come to a roundtable to discuss the matter properly. Now, in the course of our protest at the NLNG gate, they decided to use the police and every other thing to pursue us.

“The NLNG has not seen the family till now to engage them on this issue, that is why we now blocked the river. And since then, we have not heard anything from the NLNG.

“We are demanding our rights and the protest was peaceful but the police came to pursue us. So we are calling on the state and federal governments to see the need to prevail on the look into our demands.”

Similarly, another fisherman simply identified as Tamunokuro said they would continue the barricade at the creek without resorting to any form of violence.

He said, “We, all the fishermen’s associations from Amadi-ama, Kera-ama, Marine base to Kokurama, came together to block the creek, but we are not causing any problem.

“We only block the river for them not to pass. We are not at the NLNG jetty, just the river until they come up with a positive reply.”

Our reporter reports that following the blockade, it will be difficult for some staff members of the NLNG and their visitors who usually ply the routes with the company’s boats to do so.

The NLNG had in a statement by its General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Andy Odeh, said it was aware of the protest, saying the relevant stakeholders were being engaged towards an amicable resolution of the issue.

Odeh further said the NLNG placed a priority on the safety and care of its people and host communities, even as he called for calm while awaiting the outcome of the Nigeria Police probe into the matter.

The two-paragraph statement entitled, ‘Protest At the NLNG Corporate Head Office’, reads, “Nigeria LNG Limited is aware of a recurrence of a protest at its Corporate Head Office in Port Harcourt by a group claiming to represent the family in an incident allegedly involving an NLNG chartered passenger boat along the Amadi Creek in January 2024.

“NLNG confirms that relevant stakeholders are being engaged towards an amicable resolution. The Company places a premium on the safety and care of its people and host communities, and calls for calm while awaiting the outcome of the Nigeria Police probe into the matter.”