No fewer than 15 passengers have reportedly been abducted by gunmen along the Calabar-Oron waterway route on Friday.
The victims were said to be travelling from Calabar to Oron when the attack occurred.
Sources said many of those abducted were students heading to Akwa Ibom State to sit for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination.
A naval officer, who spoke anonymously, confirmed that the incident happened along the Oron waterway axis.
According to the source, armed men ambushed the passenger ferry, intercepted it on the water and whisked the travellers away to an unknown destination.
The story was also confirmed by indigenous content creator Goddymartinz who made a video on the incident and spoke about the recent kidnappings in the region.
Very Nigerian journalists also mate with a relative of an abducted Jambite who pleaded to remain anonymous, said “My younger brother left the house since on Friday for Oron, his exam was supposed to be 9am on Saturday, we haven’t heard from him since then, we have been here at the beach but no one has information on their way about”
The ferry was reportedly loaded from Calabar in Cross River State before the attack.
The Nigeria Police Force in Cross River State neither confirmed nor denied the incident. Police spokesperson Sunday Eitokpah said the Nigeria Police Force was in a better position to provide details.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official information on the whereabouts of the abducted passengers.
The Calabar-Oron waterway has witnessed repeated attacks in recent times, with several cases of kidnapping raising concerns among commuters and residents.