Niger Delta Weekly Update for July 25-31, 2021

This edition of the weekly update spotlights violent criminality in the Niger Delta with a focus on sea robbery and kidnapping in Rivers State. There has been an increase in reported incidents of kidnapping and robbery at sea in Rivers State since 2018. According to data (see map below), over 100 incidents of sea robbery and kidnapping were reported in Rivers State between 2018 and 2020. Recent incidents indicate the resurgence of sea robbery and kidnapping in the State. In March 2021, for instance, 10 expatriate fishermen who were supposedly abducted by pirates in February, off the Atlantic coast in Gabon, were reportedly rescued by Nigerian security forces. In May, two persons were reportedly killed by sea robbers along the waterways in Ke community, Degema LGA. Separately, in May, sea robbers who disguised as security operatives reportedly attacked a passenger boat, killed two persons and injured five others at Angulu-Ama Creek in Asari-Toru LGA. More recently, on July 19, 2021, gunmen reportedly hijacked a passenger boat and abducted eight travelers along Kula-Abonnema waterways in Akuku-Toru LGA.