Navy Rescues 22 Passengers After Maritime Robbers Hijack Boat in Cross River

(Nigerian Navy. Photo by The News Chronicle)

The Nigerian Navy, working in collaboration with Operation Delta Safe Sector 4 and the Marine Police, has rescued 22 passengers who were att@cked by suspected maritime robbers along the Calabar-Oron-Ibaka waterway in Cross River State.

The operation followed the hijacking of a wooden passenger vessel travelling from Henshaw Town Beach in Calabar to Utan Uyata, Ibaka, on Tuesday.

The Commanding Officer of the Forward Operating Base in Ibaka disclosed the rescue operation in a statement released on Thursday.

According to the statement, the passenger boat came under att@ck shortly after passing Enwang community when five armed men in a speedboat intercepted the vessel and assumed control of both the boat and its occupants.

Naval personnel responded swiftly to intelligence reports, launching sustained patrols and establishing a strategic naval blockade throughout the creek networks.

The security operation compelled the suspected perpetrators to abandon their captives and the hijacked boat at Asak-Ikang Creek on Wednesday before retreating towards Oron.

Naval personnel, coordinating with collaborating security agencies, immediately swept the creek and rescued 11 passengers who had been left behind by the att@ckers.

An additional 11 passengers who had escaped during the initial att@ck were subsequently located and debriefed at the Operation Delta Safe Sector 4 command post, bringing the total number of accounted-for victims to 22.

The rescued passengers were transported to the Forward Operating Base sickbay for medical evaluation and initial treatment.

Following stabilisation, they were escorted back to Calabar alongside the recovered passenger vessel.

The operation was accomplished without any ransom payment.

The Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command reaffirmed the Navy's dedication to safeguarding Nigeria's maritime domain and protecting citizens utilising the waterways.

The Navy pledged to sustain patrols, strengthen inter-agency collaboration and deploy timely intelligence to counter maritime criminality.

Authorities assured law-abiding residents and passengers that the Navy remained committed to protecting the nation's waterways and supporting legitimate maritime operations.