The Nigerian Navy has rescued and accounted for 22 passengers who were abducted by suspected sea robbers after their wooden passenger boat was hijacked along the Calabar–Oron–Ibaka waterway in Akwa Ibom State.
The passengers were rescued during a coordinated operation involving personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ibaka, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) Sector 4 and the Marine Police.
The Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement issued at the weekend.
According to Folorunsho, the incident occurred on August 11, 2026, when the passenger boat, which was travelling from Henshaw Town Beach in Calabar to Utan Uyata, Ibaka, was intercepted by armed suspected sea robbers shortly after passing Enwang Community.
The assailants reportedly hijacked the vessel and abducted the passengers, prompting security personnel to launch an operation to locate the victims and recover the boat.
Folorunsho said the operation led to the recovery of the hijacked vessel and the rescue of 11 passengers who had been abandoned by the suspected criminals at Asak-Ikang Creek.
He added that another 11 passengers who had managed to escape during the attack were later located and accounted for at the OPDS Sector 4 command post.
This brought the total number of rescued and accounted-for passengers to 22.
The rescued passengers were taken to the FOB Ibaka Sickbay, where they received medical assessment and first aid before arrangements were made for their safe return to Calabar with the recovered boat.
Folorunsho also disclosed that no ransom was paid for the release of the victims.
The Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Chidozie Okehie, reaffirmed the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to maintaining robust maritime security operations and strengthening collaboration with other security agencies to protect lives and property along the nation’s waterways.