Thirteen passengers travelling along Bonny-Okrika waterways in Rivers State are missing following the hijacking of a boat by some suspected pirates.
It was gathered that the boat conveying about 20 passengers was hijacked by the pirates on Thursday, February 6.
Also, the Bonny Local Government Council had earlier announced that it rescued a total of nine passengers while effort to rescue the 13 passengers on the hijacked boat is ongoing.
Chairman of LG council, Anengi Claude-Wilcox confirming the incident said leaders in the area are working with security agencies to rescue the passengers.
He also stated that the boat driver allegedly passed through kilometre 10, which is a prohibited channel for commercial purposes.
Claude-Wilcox said in a statement on Friday said, “It should be noted that nine persons have been found and returned to Port Harcourt through the timely intervention of government security operatives who are currently up and about and have intensified efforts to rescue the remaining 12 passengers.
“It should be noted that preliminary findings reveal that the Boat Driver disobeyed the rules and passed through Kilometer 10, a prohibited channel for commercial Boat Drivers,” the statement said.
In addition, the victims’ relatives and the public have been urged to remain clam as efforts are being made to address the situation.