Some gunmen suspected to be pirates have attacked passenger boat along Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, abducting five travellers.
It was gathered that the incident occurred over the weekend when the boat was travelling from Port Harcourt to Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area.
Speaking over the abduction, Executive Director of Youths Environmental Advocacy Center, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, in a statement, on Monday, said that one of the occupants of the boat was ill and taken to the hospital for medical attention.
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He said: “The boat that was attacked by the pirates and people taken hostage was sailing from Bille to Port Harcourt. Six people were on board but five were taken hostage.
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”The sixth person, an early woman is reported to have been sick and was heading to Port Harcourt for medical attention.”
“The YEAC-Nigeria volunteers also reported that according to the woman and freed boat driver, the elderly woman pleaded with the pirates for her to be freed on her health and age grounds and the pirates heeded her request and freed her and the boat driver.
“The pirates are said to have thus, freed the boat driver to take the woman to Port Harcourt while they evacuated five others into their own boat and zoomed off with them.
”All those onboard, including the driver, are all natives of the Bille Kingdom.”
Also confirming the incident, Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Port Harcourt Commercial District, Isreal, disclosed that security agents have been told.
He said: “Yes it happened within Aboneme to Cawthorne Channel. Six of them, including the driver, were kidnapped.
“The police are aware because we reported it already. But since then we have not heard anything. We are calling for their unconditional release. Let the waterways be safe for our people to travel freely.”
