Aniefiok Christopher
The Senate has called on security agencies to ensure improved but coordinated security operations along Calabar-Oron waterways for safe and unconditional release of the abducted passengers.
Straightnews had reported that on 16 April, armed sea pirates abducted about 15 passengers enroute Oron for Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) held on Saturday, 18 April 2026.
The directive was sequel to a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Ekong Sampson (Akwa Ibom South), calling for a comprehensive investigation into rising insecurity along the Calabar–Oron waterways and urgent need to fast-track the reconstruction of Calabar–Itu–Odukpani Highway.
In the plenary presided over by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate condemning the abduction, and called for sustained surveillance of the coastlines.
Also read: Calabar-Oron Waterways under siege as Police race to Free over 15 abducted passengers
The Lawmakers further directed JAMB to explore safer alternatives that would reduce the need for candidates to travel across states to sit for the UTME.
The Senate also mandated the Federal Ministry of Works to expedite action on the Calabar–Itu–Odukpani highway project, noting that improved road infrastructure would significantly reduce dependence on the waterways and enhance the safety of commuters.
Moving the motion under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Rules, Sampson drew the attention of lawmakers to what he described as a heart-rending incident involving the hijack of a commercial ferry and the abduction of no fewer than 15 passengers by suspected sea pirates along the Calabar-Oron water corridor.
The Senator noted with grave concern that the victims, who were travelling from Calabar to Oron, were violently seized mid-sea, with eyewitness accounts indicating that armed pirates commandeered the vessel and whisked the passengers away to unknown destinations.
The lawmaker stated that among those abducted were young Nigerians reportedly traveling to sit for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), warning that the incident has not only endangered lives, distraught families of victims but also disrupted the educational aspirations of the affected candidates.
He said despite previous interventions by security agencies, the waterways have remained vulnerable to piracy, kidnapping, smuggling, and robbery, thereby threatening commerce and inter-state connectivity.
Senator Sampson lamented that the deplorable condition of the Calabar-Itu Highway has forced many commuters to use the Calabar-Oron waterways.
He called for expedited attention from the Federal Government towards the reconstruction of the road.
