No fewer than 20 passengers from Akwa Ibom were abducted by suspected sea pirates on Good Friday while traveling along the Cross River State waterways.

The victims, who boarded an Akwa-Cross Transport Company boat from Oron in Akwa Ibom, were reportedly hijacked mid-journey by the pirates who diverted the vessel to an unknown location.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that relatives of staff from the Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC) Television Service and the Advocate Broadcasting Network (ABDN), as well as a popular comedian known as General Odey, are among those kidnapped.

Most of the passengers were said to be traders, while a few were holidaymakers believed to be heading to Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

Speaking with journalists, the wife of one of the victims, who asked to remain anonymous, revealed that the kidnappers had contacted her and demanded a ransom of ?100 million. However, she could not confirm whether the ransom was for her husband alone or for all 20 abductees.

When contacted on Friday, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, explained that the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Cross River State Police Command.

?I would not know if any of the victims have been rescued because the matter is being investigated by the Cross River State Police Command. The incident did not occur on the Akwa Ibom waterways. However, we are collaborating closely to ensure the perpetrators are apprehended,? Azare stated. (Vanguard)

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