Seventeen passengers travelling by boat from Oron in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar, Cross River State, have been kidnapped by pirates, deepening considerations over rising insecurity alongside Nigeria’s coastal routes.
The Cross River State Police Command confirmed the incident on Saturday, saying the assault occurred on Thursday shortly after the boat left Oron.
Deputy police public relations officer within the state, Igri Ewa, advised reporters in Calabar that safety operatives had begun efforts to rescue the victims. “The command is already working to make sure the immediate rescue of the passengers,” Ewa mentioned.
He disclosed {that a} serving police officer from Akwa Ibom and a well known Cross River politician, who have been on board, narrowly escaped abduction.
A passenger who spoke on situation of anonymity mentioned the pirates intercepted the vessel a couple of minutes after departure. “They stopped our boat, transferred some passengers to their boat, and when their boat was full, they took off. Once we arrived on the Inland Waterways Jetty, the police questioned us and later took our statements,” the passenger recounted.
The incident is the second main abduction on the identical route this yr. In April, 20 passengers travelling from Oron to Calabar have been taken by pirates.
The Oron–Calabar hall has grow to be infamous for kidnappings and piracy, forcing many travellers to depend on water transport as a result of the Calabar–Itu Federal Freeway stays in disrepair.
Native residents say the insecurity has devastated companies. A ship proprietor from Ibaka neighborhood in Akwa Ibom advised reporters that repeated pirate assaults have crippled fishing, the neighborhood’s important livelihood. “I’ve misplaced two outboard engines price over N3 million every to sea pirates. We’ve got tried ourselves, and our youths have additionally tried, however the extra we attempt, the extra the pirates assault us. That is our predicament. I enchantment once more to safety businesses to maintain their operation at sea to curb these assaults,” he mentioned.
The persistent assaults have additionally affected meals provide, with rising costs of seafood, together with crayfish, in Akwa Ibom markets.
Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom has repeatedly requested the federal authorities to ascertain a navy battalion within the Oron axis, which contains Oron, Mbo, Okobo, Udung Uko, and Urue Offong/Uruko native authorities areas. “Most kidnappings occur and so they undergo the waters. If one other battalion is sited in Oron, it might assist us deal with this menace,” Eno mentioned throughout a gathering with the previous Chief of Military Employees, Taoreed Lagbaja, in 2024.
The Home of Representatives had earlier adopted a decision calling for a navy formation within the space after a movement by Oron federal constituency lawmaker Martins Esin, who blamed rising kidnappings and killings on insufficient safety presence.
Regardless of these appeals, residents say the assaults have continued. Up to now two years, victims have included a Excessive Court docket decide, a medical physician, a paramount ruler, and kinfolk of politicians.
