At least five passengers traveling along the Port Harcourt-Bille waterways in Rivers State have been abducted by suspected pirates, according to a statement released by the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) on Monday.
The attack, which reportedly took place over the weekend, was brought to light by members of YEAC’s One Million Youth Volunteers Network of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters based in the Bille community area.
Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Executive Director of YEAC, confirmed that the victims were en route from Port Harcourt to Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area when their boat was intercepted by armed assailants. The pirates, operating a speedboat fitted with a 200-horsepower engine, forcefully seized five passengers and took them to an undisclosed location.
“As of Monday morning when the incident was reported to our centre, the whereabouts of the kidnapped passengers remained unknown,” Dr. Fyneface stated.
YEAC has called on the Rivers State Police Command and other relevant security agencies to take urgent action to ensure the safe return of the abducted individuals. The organization also appealed to Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), Sole Administrator of Rivers State, to intensify security measures and prioritize the protection of lives and property along the state’s waterways.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Rivers State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, went unanswered at the time of reporting.
