The Nigerian Navy, in collaboration with Operation Delta Safe Sector 4 and the Marine Police, has rescued 22 passengers who were attacked by suspected sea robbers along the Calabar-Oron-Ibaka waterway in Cross River State.
The rescue followed the hijacking of a wooden passenger boat travelling from Henshaw Town Beach in Calabar to Utan Uyata, Ibaka, on Tuesday.
The Commanding Officer of the Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, Navy Capt. Adebowale Omotosho, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the statement, the passenger boat came under attack shortly after passing the Enwang community when five armed men in a speedboat intercepted the vessel and took control of the boat and its passengers.
Omotosho said, “Responding swiftly to intelligence reports, naval personnel launched sustained patrols and established a strategic naval blockade along the creek networks.”
He said the security operation forced the suspected kidnappers to abandon their captives and the hijacked boat at Asak-Ikang Creek on Wednesday before fleeing towards Oron.
The statement said naval personnel, working with collaborating security agencies, immediately conducted a sweep of the creek and rescued 11 passengers who had been abandoned by the attackers.
