Over 6,000 mothers and daughters of Bonny Kingdom on Thursday took to the streets of the island in protest of the rising activities of sea pirates on the Bonny/Port Harcourt waterway, which has claimed many lives and is taking serious tolls on the economy of the island.
The women, under the aegis of Bonny Women Patriotic Movement (BWPM), all dressed in black attires, moved round the island in a procession, calling on government at all levels to come to the rescue of their homeland.
Speaking on behalf of the women, the Vice-President of the BWPM, Amaopuorubo Juan Willy-Pepple, lamented the situation, which she claimed had virtually killed commercial life on Bonny Island as pirates had turned the business route to the rest of the world from them into a death trap.
According to her, living on the island has become extremely expensive as everyday common commodities no longer come in as the people are unable to travel out to Port Harcourt to bring usual daily needs.
Willy-Pepple, who condemned the attitude of the multinationals operating on the island to the predicament of the people, called on government at all levels to come to the aid of the people by ridding their route to Port Harcourt of sea pirates.
She said, �In view of the above, we the helpless mothers and indeed all women resident on Bonny Island are united in this fight against sea pirates.
�We therefore earnestly call on the local, state and the federal governments to urgently look into our plight.�
Responding to the women�s protest, representative of Bonny King, Chief A.C.S. Jamaica, assured the women that their grievances would be adequately treated.