20 Passengers, Including JAMB Candidates, Abducted by Sea Pirates Along Calabar Waterways
No fewer than 20 passengers, including candidates sitting for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), were abducted by sea pirates on Friday along the Calabar waterways.
The victims were travelling aboard a passenger ferry from Calabar in Cross River State to Oron in Akwa Ibom State when the incident occurred.
A naval officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the abduction, revealing that armed pirates ambushed the ferry on the waterway and whisked away the passengers at gunpoint.
Although the exact number of those abducted is yet to be officially confirmed, sources said many of the victims were JAMB candidates heading to Akwa Ibom State to write their examinations.
The Cross River State Police Command has neither confirmed nor denied the incident. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sunday Eitokpah, said the Akwa Ibom State Police Command would be in a better position to comment on the matter since the ferry was bound for Oron.
The abduction has sparked fresh fears over the safety of waterways in the South-South region, particularly for students and candidates travelling for national examinations.
As of the time of this report, there has been no official statement from the Nigerian Navy or security agencies on rescue efforts or the current status of the abducted passengers.
The incident comes barely days after a similar abduction of passengers, including JAMB candidates, along the Makurdi-Otukpo road in Benue State, raising serious concerns about the safety of candidates during this examination period.
