Nigeria Navy said it has rescued seven male victims who were abducted on May 10, after their boat was intercepted by sea pirates off the coast of Bonny Island in Rivers.

Commodore Suleiman Ibrahim, the commander of the Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, said the kidnappers diverted to an unknown location inside the thick forest of the state after they intercepted the commercial boat.

He said the NNS Pathfinder immediately mobilised personnel to track down the abductors, adding that intelligence gathering showed that one Victor Padei was the mastermind of the abductions.

“Thereafter, we mobilised troops and stormed his camp (in Rivers), but unfortunately by the time we arrived at the camp, Padei had already relocated with his victims.

“Padei knows the terrain very well, and he deploys his local informants who give him information on the movement of troops.”

Mr Ibrahim said further surveillance was conducted to determine the whereabouts of fleeing abductors, which revealed the suspects relocated to another camp in Bayelsa.

“Again, we mobilised personnel in collaboration with our naval base in Bayelsa to raid the kidnapper’s camp, but unfortunately, they had already relocated with the victims before we got there.

“However, intelligence later discovered another camp in Bayelsa where kidnappers held the victims against their will.

“Upon storming the kidnappers’ den, we applied pressure (force) and issued them (kidnappers) to release the abductees unconditionally.

“Subsequently, on the midnight of May 21, the seven victims were returned unharmed to us and they are currently with us,” he added.

He said that troops were currently on the trail of Mr Padei and his gang of kidnappers and assured of their arrest and prosecution in no time.

Narrating his ordeal, one of the rescued victims, Jude Ichikpro, 57, said that after their boat was intercepted, their abductors blindfolded and took them to an unknown area.

“After we arrived at the camp, they gave us our phones to contact and inform our family members of our abduction.

“Thereafter, they (abductors) demanded N350 million (N50 million each) for the seven of us to secure our release, threatening to kill anyone of us whose family did not pay their ransom.”

Mr Ichikpro, a Delta State indigene, said they were held for 12 days and fed uncooked food, drank dirty and salty water and sometimes slept inside the swampy waters.

(NAN)