SOME unidentified gunmen have carried out a series of daring attacks along the waterways in Rivers State, abducting at least 16 people in separate incidents.
The first assault was said to have occurred near the Borikiri axis of Port Harcourt, where pirates intercepted a wooden cargo boat en route to Bonny in the Bonny Local Government Area.
While there were five passengers aboard, three were forcibly taken away on Tuesday.
However, an elderly man and the boat driver were left behind.
In a chilling repeat of violence, another boat, piloted by the same captain whose vessel was attacked just weeks prior, was ambushed near Isaka in Okrika LGA.
Thirteen passengers traveling to Bille were seized, adding to the growing toll of abductions.
Tragically, this was not the first ordeal for the boat’s operator, as six of its passengers had also been kidnapped on March 26.
Amid the chaos, a grim update emerged: Hope Georgewill, CEO of HMG and one of the earlier victims, had been killed by his captors despite a ransom payment in March of this year.
A third attack unfolded near Tourist Beach in Port Harcourt, where pirates commandeered an empty speedboat, leaving no passengers harmed but further exposing the vulnerability of the state’s waterways.
A senior police officer, speaking anonymously, confirmed the incidents, acknowledging the audacity of the assaults.
The spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, also confirmed the incident, saying, “Yes, 13 people were abducted along the Isaka waterway, but we’re working hard to make sure they’re rescued unhurt and reunited with their families.”
Search and rescue operations are underway, but the scale of the attacks has raised urgent questions about security in Rivers State.
With both state and local governments in disarray due to a federally imposed state of emergency, sources suggest these brazen kidnappings highlight a dangerous security vacuum—one that pirates and criminals are exploiting with increasing boldness.