Gunmen suspected to be sea pirates on Tuesday evening abducted 12 boat passengers and their driver along the Isaka waterways in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The victims were en route to Bille Town in the Degema Local Government Area.

A community source told Daily Trust on Wednesday that the pirates also hijacked two other passenger boats loaded with goods, heading to the Cawthorne Channel and Bonny Island axis of the state.

The whereabouts of the abducted passengers remain unknown, and the kidnappers have not yet contacted the families of the victims for ransom.

Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union (MWU) in Rivers State, Mr. Israel Pepple, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

He called on the state government to strengthen security around the Bille and Isaka waterways.

Pepple also urged the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), to implement measures that will ensure the security of the state’s coastal areas.

“Currently, 12 passengers and their driver are in captivity. Two other boats were hijacked. One was headed to the Cawthorne Channel, another to Bille, and the third to Bonny.

“The Bille-bound boat was where the passengers and driver were taken. The others were stripped of goods, and the drivers were chased away,” he said.

Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, also confirmed the incident.

She said the command is making “frantic efforts” to rescue the victims unhurt and arrest the perpetrators.

“We are working tirelessly to ensure the safe release of the victims and to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice,” she said.