Attacks by pirates are increasingly becoming frequent and intense in the waterways of Bayelsa state and thus exacerbating maritime insecurity in the Niger Delta and the Gulf of Guinea. Recent trends indicate an upsurge in maritime piracy in the state, mainly involving attacks on oil tank-ers, fishing trawlers, commercial boats, and hijacking of cargo ships for ransom and robberies, as well as recurrent clashes between pirates and public security operatives in the waterways. According to data (see map below), over 100 incidents of piracy were reported in Bayelsa state between February 2015 and February 2020. In February 2020, for example, pirates reportedly killed two civilians and four soldiers who were escorting an oil barge along the waterways in Letugbene community in Ekeremor LGA, Bayelsa state. The above incident is just one in a series of deadly attacks by pirates in the state. In a recent incident, in April 2020, operatives of the joint military task force code-named ‘Operation Delta Safe’ reportedly killed a pirate and arrested three others during a gun battle along the waterways of Bilabiri community, Ekeremor LGA.
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