Nigeria: Pirates abduct 20 ferry passengers in Calabar; Benue police rescue 13 kidnapped travellers
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
At least 20 passengers, including candidates travelling for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), were abducted by sea pirates on Friday along the Calabar waterways, while police in Benue State confirmed the rescue of 13 passengers seized days earlier on the Makurdi–Otukpo highway.
A naval officer, speaking anonymously, said gunmen ambushed a ferry en route from Calabar, Cross River State, to Oron, Akwa Ibom State, and took the passengers away at gunpoint. The exact number of victims is still unclear, but reports indicate several were JAMB candidates heading to exam centres in Akwa Ibom.
The Cross River State Police Command had not confirmed the incident at press time. Police spokesperson Sunday Eitokpah said the Akwa Ibom Command was better placed to comment. The attack has raised fresh concerns over waterway safety for students and other travellers in the region.
In a separate incident, the Benue State Police Command arrested seven suspected militia herdsmen over last Wednesday’s abduction of passengers from an 18-seater Benue Links bus on the Makurdi–Otukpo road. All 18 victims have regained their freedom.
Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Emenari told Governor Hyacinth Alia that five passengers were released earlier, while the remaining 13 were rescued Sunday morning in a joint security operation. He credited support from Governor Alia and the Inspector-General of Police, noting that the IGP’s tactical team helped mount pressure on the kidnappers.
Occupants of the vehicle, the remaining 13 were rescued this morning unhurt,” Emenari said. Eight suspects are in custody, seven of whom are believed to be directly linked to the crime. Some victims have identified them, he added.
Emenari said special operations are ongoing to clear criminal elements from forest hideouts across the state.
Receiving the rescued passengers in Makurdi, Governor Alia expressed concern over rising kidnappings but welcomed the safe return of all victims. He said eight of those abducted were young people travelling to Otukpo for their UTME.
“I am happy to hear that they have all returned safely. I am also pleased that seven suspected herdsmen bandits have been arrested over the incident,” Alia said. He urged JAMB to reschedule exams for affected candidates and directed the Commissioner for Health and Human Services to ensure the victims get medical evaluation. The state will roll out support packages for them, he added.
The governor restated his administration’s zero tolerance for crime and asked residents to share timely information with security agencies.
There have been conflicting statements on whether the Benue bus victims were UTME candidates. Benue police spokesperson Udeme Edet earlier described reports calling them JAMB candidates as “misinformation.” JAMB’s Public Communications Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, also said the travellers were en route to Makurdi for an ongoing police recruitment exercise and were returning to Otukpo when attacked.
Despite the discrepancy, Governor Alia maintained that eight of the victims were students heading for exams and repeated his appeal to JAMB to reschedule their papers.
The 13 remaining victims were freed early Sunday after about three days in captivity. Alia said security operatives, with help from local communities, rescued them from a forest in Okere Ward, Ohimini LGA. Two passengers had escaped earlier.
The victims were evacuated to the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo, for treatment.
Both incidents underscore growing security challenges on highways and waterways in the South-South and North-Central regions, with travellers — including students — increasingly vulnerable.
