Several candidates preparing to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have been abducted after armed men attacked a passenger boat on the Calabar–Oron waterway in southern Nigeria.
The incident, which occurred while the victims were reportedly en route to their examination centres, has raised fresh concerns over safety along Nigeria’s inland waterways, particularly in the Cross River–Akwa Ibom corridor.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the gunmen intercepted the boat mid-transit, forcing passengers into panic before whisking away a yet-to-be-confirmed number of travellers.
Among those taken were said to be students scheduled to participate in the JAMB examination.
A source familiar with the situation said the attackers appeared to have targeted the vessel deliberately, taking advantage of its isolated route.
“They came suddenly and ordered everyone to comply. The students were among those taken away,” the source said.
Security agencies have since been alerted, with search-and-rescue operations reportedly being coordinated across surrounding waterways and coastal communities.
However, authorities are yet to release an official figure on the number of abducted passengers or confirm the identities of those affected.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has not issued a formal statement at the time of filing this report, but the incident is already generating widespread concern among parents and education stakeholders, especially over the safety of candidates during examination periods.
Meanwhile, tension remains high in nearby riverine communities as security operatives intensify patrols in an effort to track the assailants and rescue the abducted passengers.
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