A passenger boat cruising along the waterways between Degema and Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas of Rivers State was ambushed by gunmen who are thought to be pirates.
Five people were reportedly abducted by the assailants during the event.
The boat was travelling from Bille in the Degema Local Government Area to Port Harcourt when it was attacked, according to a source, and the attackers took the passengers to an unidentified location.
The attack was confirmed by Isreal Pepple, the Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Port Harcourt Commercial District, who said that the incident happened close to the Cawthorne Channel in Akuku-Toru LGA and that the police had been notified of it.
He said, “The police are aware because we reported it already. But since then, we have not heard anything.
“We are calling for their unconditional release. Let the waterways be safe for our people to travel freely.”
According to Fyneface Dumnamene, Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, or YEAC, one of the passengers, a woman, was freed after pleading with the pirates about her health.
Dumnamene also revealed that the boat’s driver was free to take the woman to Port Harcourt when she needed medical attention.
His statement read, “The boat that was attacked by the pirates and people taken hostage was sailing from Bille to Port Harcourt. Six people were on board, but five were taken hostage.
“The sixth person, an elderly woman, is reported to have been sick and was heading to Port Harcourt for medical attention.
“The YEAC-Nigeria volunteers also reported that according to the woman and freed boat driver, the elderly woman pleaded with the pirates for her to be freed on her health and age grounds and the pirates heeded her request and freed her and the boat driver.
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“The pirates are said to have thus, freed the boat driver to take the woman to Port Harcourt while they evacuated five others into their own boat and zoomed off with them.”
Dumnamene added that the kidnapped victims are all natives of Bille Kingdom.
As of the time of filing this report, the Rivers State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
