No fewer than 20 passengers, including candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), were reportedly abducted by sea pirates along the Calabar waterways on Friday,April 17.
A naval officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident to Vanguard, stating that the assailants ambushed a passenger ferry travelling from Calabar in Cross River State to Oron in Akwa Ibom State. He said the pirates struck while the ferry was on the waterway and whisked away the passengers at gunpoint.
Although the exact number of abducted passengers could not be immediately ascertained, it was gathered that many of the victims were candidates going to sit for the JAMB examination in Akwa Ibom State.
The Cross River state police command is yet to comment on this development.
This report comes after suspected gunmen abducted 13 persons including UTME candidates aboard an 18-seater Benue Links bus along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway last Friday as well. The victims, who included candidates en route to Otukpo for their examinations, have all regained their freedom.
