Pirates demand N100m ransom for abducted WAEC students, passengers in Rivers

The captors of 13 passengers, including eight students traveling to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), are demanding a ransom of N100 million for their release.

The victims were abducted by pirates along the Port Harcourt–Bille waterways on May 6, 2025.

The brazen attack, which occurred in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, has plunged affected families into fear and despair.

According to reports, the armed pirates hijacked two passenger boats and forcefully took all those on board, including the WASSCE-bound students, who were en route to fulfill a critical academic milestone.

Nearly three weeks after the incident, the whereabouts of the victims remain unknown, and their captors are yet to show any sign of releasing them without the demanded payment.

In a statement on Friday, Dr. Osaki Miller, an indigene of Bille Kingdom and the immediate past Youth President of the community, confirmed that the abductors had contacted the victims’ families, demanding a ransom of N100 million.

“As we speak, the whereabouts of the victims is still unknown, and now we have been made to understand that the abductors are asking for N100m ransom,” Miller said during a press briefing in Port Harcourt.

He expressed grave concern over the safety and health conditions of the abductees, particularly the students, and decried the psychological toll the ordeal is having on their families.

“These are young students who were only on their way to write their exams. Their parents are traumatised, and no family in our community can raise such an outrageous amount. We are deeply worried. Time is ticking, and the authorities must act fast,” Miller added.

Dr. Miller urged the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), to take decisive action to ensure the safe release of the captives.

“We have lodged complaints with various quarters, including the security agencies and the government. We even staged a protest to alert the authorities. But up till now, we have not heard anything. Whatever the case, we are calling on the State Sole Administrator to swing into action,” he said.

The former Chairman of Bille Community, Mr. Fibite Bibi, also weighed in on the matter, confirming that one of the victims, a uniformed security personnel, had been released by the kidnappers last Friday.

“They released a uniformed man who was kidnapped alongside the students last Friday. We don’t know whether ransom was paid. But right now, they are demanding N100m for the students and Bille residents that were abducted. Where will that money come from?” Bibi asked.

“We don’t have that kind of money. The security agencies should do what they are supposed to do and rescue these people. Nobody has that kind of money to give. They should please release the victims. The security agencies should please take the necessary action,” he pleaded.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that security efforts have been ramped up to rescue the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“Efforts have been intensified to secure the release of the victims and to apprehend the perpetrators,” she said, assuring the public that the police were working in collaboration with other security agencies to address the situation.