The police have confirmed the abduction of 15 passengers on the Calabar-Oron waterways.
Some gunmen, on Friday, ambushed a ferry travelling from Calabar, Cross River State, to Oron, Akwa Ibom State, and abducted the passengers, the News Agency of Nigeria quoted an unnamed naval officer as saying.
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The police spokesperson in Cross River, Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the abduction in a statement to reporters on Monday.
“The command is working in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom Command and the Navy.
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“Coordinated search-and-rescue and tactical operations are currently ongoing to ensure the safe recovery of the victims and the swift apprehension of the perpetrators,” Mr Eitokpah, an assistant superintendent of police, said in the statement.
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There have been frequent abductions of passengers on Calabar-Oron waterways lately, especially as Nigerians have resorted to travel by water because the Calabar-Itu Federal Highway is dilapidated.
The latest incident occurred seven months after 17 passengers were abducted in September 2025 on the same waterways.
Also, gunmen, in April 2025, abducted 20 passengers who were travelling in a boat from Oron to Calabar.
Abduction for ransom has become a prevalent crime in many Nigerian cities, with just anyone, including students and clerics, as targets.
