Sea pirates ambushed a passenger ferry on the Calabar–Oron waterway on Friday, abducting around 20 travellers, including Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates.
A naval officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the attack occurred while the vessel was en route from Calabar in Cross River State to Oron in Akwa Ibom State. The gunmen boarded at gunpoint and whisked the passengers away into the waterways.
“Gunmen ambushed a passenger ferry travelling from Calabar to Oron,” the officer said, adding that many of those taken were young candidates travelling for the JAMB examination in Akwa Ibom State.
The exact number of abducted passengers remained unconfirmed late on Monday, with some reports citing 17 victims. The Cross River State Police Command neither confirmed nor denied the incident when contacted, with its spokesperson directing inquiries to the Akwa Ibom State Command since the ferry’s destination lies in that state.
The abduction has sparked fresh fears over the safety of Nigeria’s inland and coastal waterways, which have become increasingly vulnerable to pirate attacks in recent years. Students and other travellers often have few secure alternatives when moving between states, particularly during national examination periods.
This latest maritime incident comes days after a separate road kidnapping in neighbouring Benue State involving passengers travelling in connection with examinations or recruitment exercises. In that case, all victims were eventually rescued unhurt following a joint security operation.
No ransom demand has been publicly reported in the Calabar attack, and details on ongoing rescue efforts or the current status of the victims were not immediately available.
