Pirates abduct 17 passengers on Calabar waterways

Seventeen passengers have been abducted by sea pirates along the Calabar waterways, the Cross River State Police Command confirmed on Saturday.

Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Igri Ewa, told reporters in Calabar that the attack occurred on Thursday.

He said the command had launched an operation to ensure the “prompt” rescue of the victims.

According to him, a serving police officer from Akwa Ibom and a well-known Cross River politician narrowly escaped being taken during the incident.

A survivor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, recounted that the assailants intercepted their boat shortly after it departed Oron, Akwa Ibom, for Calabar.

“They stopped our boat, transferred some passengers into theirs, and sped off once it was full,” the passenger said.

The abduction is the latest in a series of pirate attacks along the Oron–Calabar route, where commuters increasingly rely on waterways due to the dilapidated Calabar–Itu federal highway.

In April, 20 passengers were similarly abducted on the same stretch.

Residents and business operators say piracy has crippled fishing and trade in coastal communities, driving up the prices of seafood such as crayfish.

Authorities in Akwa Ibom and Cross River have long called for stronger security presence in the region.

Last year, Governor Umo Eno urged the Nigerian Army to establish a battalion in the Oron axis, a hotspot for kidnappings and violent crimes.

The House of Representatives had earlier passed a resolution making the same demand.

High-profile abductions have also rocked the area, including the kidnapping of a paramount ruler, medical doctor, High Court judge, and several others.

Despite repeated appeals, piracy and kidnapping continue to disrupt lives and businesses across Akwa Ibom’s coastal local governments, leaving residents desperate for lasting security interventions.