Passengers who were abducted by gunmen along the Calabar-Oron waterways 11 days ago have reportedly regained their freedom.
Naijaonpoint reports that the victims were part of the passengers aboard a commercial boat attacked by armed men on Thursday, September 25, while travelling from Calabar, Cross River State, to Oron in Akwa Ibom State.
As of press time, it was still unclear whether all 17 passengers had been released or if some were still in captivity.
According to Vanguard, sources disclosed that the freed passengers were receiving medical attention at a government-owned hospital in Calabar following their release.
Security officials were said to have escorted the victims to safety before they were taken for medical evaluation.
Naijaonpoint understands that the incident occurred when gunmen hijacked a passenger vessel belonging to Sea Express Limited, which was ferrying about 30 passengers across the busy Calabar-Oron route.
The attackers reportedly intercepted the boat midway, forcing it to divert toward an unknown destination before taking several passengers hostage.
Sources said some passengers managed to escape by jumping into the river, while others were captured and taken away. As of the time of filing this report, authorities had yet to issue an official statement confirming the number of victims released or the circumstances surrounding their freedom.
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