The Cross River State Police Command confirmed the kidnapping of 15 people on a Sea Express boat traveling from Calabar to Oron on Friday.
Police Public Relations Officer Eitokpah confirmed the event in a statement on Monday, saying the command is working with the Akwa Ibom State Police Command and the Nigerian Navy to safely rescue the victims.
“The command is collaborating closely with the Akwa Ibom State Police Command as well as the Nigerian Navy in coordinated search-and-rescue operations.
“As we speak, tactical operations to secure the safe recovery of the victims and the arrest of the perpetrators are ongoing,” Eitokpah stated.
This confirmation confirmed Vanguard’s earlier report that no fewer than 20 passengers, believed to be students preparing for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), were kidnapped by sea pirates along Calabar’s waterways on Friday.
Remember that a navy officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, had told Vanguard that gunmen attacked the passenger ferry on the river and kidnapped the passengers at gunpoint.
The actual number of individuals abducted was unknown at the time, but many were apparently students on their way to Akwa Ibom State to take the UTME exam.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of the region’s waterways, especially for candidates traveling for national exams.
Security authorities are continuing their search and rescue efforts, even as stakeholders urge for increased security on the Calabar-Oron highway to prevent a repeat.
