Suspected pirates attack boat, abduct 5 passengers in Rivers

Hoodlums suspected to be pirates were reported to have attacked a passenger boat along the Bonny-Onne waterways in Rivers State and in the process kidnapped 5 passengers.

Though it was not clear if the boat was coming to Port Harcourt when the attack took place as the gunmen laid siege to the boat, but a top official of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) confirmed the incident.

Henry Jumbo, Chairman Bonny Unit of MWUN while reacting to the passengers’ abduction he received a distress call concerning the attack on the passenger boat.

Jumbo said the boat had 18 passengers when the incident occurred, but five of the occupants were whisked away to an unknown destination by the pirates.

He added that the remaining passengers were recovered by a search team and brought to shore after a rescue operation, even as he said the repeated attacks on the waterways was worrisome.

“I received information that one of our boats was attacked and they made away with about five passengers.

“This morning, we went with a search team and we got the remaining people. We are begging the government to come to our aid because the sea route, for now, is not safe the remaining passengers.

“We are suffering. This is a big challenge for us,” a maritime union official stated, adding that the kidnappers were yet to make contact with the union.

Jumbo also appealed to security agencies, especially the marine police to deploy operatives along the Bonny-Onne sea route and the seaport as well.

Nnamdi Omoni, the spokesman of the Rivers State Police Command, was not available for comments when he was contacted as he could not be reached on his telephone.

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