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.
It added that another 11 passengers who had escaped during the initial attack were later located and debriefed at the Operation Delta Safe Sector 4 command post.
“This brings the total number of accounted-for victims to 22,” the statement said.
The rescued passengers were subsequently taken to the FOB Ibaka Sickbay for medical evaluation and first aid.
“After being stabilised, they were escorted back to Calabar alongside the successfully recovered passenger boat,” the statement added.
The operation was conducted without any ransom payment, according to the Navy.
Reacting to the development, the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Chiedozie Okehie, reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s maritime domain and ensuring the safety of citizens using the waterways.
Okehie said the Navy would continue to sustain its patrols, strengthen inter-agency collaboration and deploy timely intelligence to combat maritime criminality.
He assured law-abiding residents and passengers that the Navy remained committed to safeguarding the nation’s waterways and protecting legitimate maritime activities.