1 SHOT AS ARMED MEN ATTACK BOAT PASSENGERS ON ORON WATERWAYS STRIKING FEARS OF THE RETURN OF MILITANTS TO THE PREVIOUSLY RESTIVE WATERS
Armed men, suspected to be militants on Thursday, shot an unidentified man during an attack on passengers aboard a Calabar bound boat.
Report says the boat filled with passengers heading to Calabar, took off from Oron, Akwa Ibom on Thursday, October 1. However, the 40 minutes journey turned tragic when armed men attacked the boat and shot the male passenger in the process.
Sources say, the boat attack, though an isolated incident, might be a signal that militants have returned to Oron waters following a two-year hiatus.
Oron Waters have enjoyed relative peace since 2018 when the State government granted a major militant group, the Bakassi Strike Force amnesty.
The Safe Waters had encouraged commuters to travel to Cross River by water as the Calabar-Itu Road is badly damaged.
A return of militants to Oron Waters would lead to great losses for boat operators who are enjoying a boom in the water transport business.
Sources say boat fare from Akwa Ibom to Cross River received a 75% price hike when it was increased to N2,000 following increased patronage.
The injured passenger is receiving treatment in an unidentified hospital.
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