The Nigerian Navy NNS Pathfinder, on Tuesday, said its operatives have rescued seven kidnapped victims who were taken hostage along Rivers/ Bayelsa waterways.
In a statement on Tuesday by the Base Commander NNS Pathfinder in Port Harcourt, Commodore Suleiman Ibrahim, said that the abduction of the victims was masterminded by one Victor Padi.
According to him, the victims were travelling from Bonny to Port Harcourt before they were abducted.
He said on the 10th of May 2022, they had an ugly incident of kidnapping where some passengers who were on a commercial boat from Bonny to Port Harcourt were intercepted by pirates and were taken captive to an unknown location.
According to him, as soon as the information got across to them, they mobilised and started tracking to identify who actually committed this crime
He said after a series of investigations, it was discovered that one Victor Padi was the mastermind of the criminal act. From there, we moved and stormed his camp but unfortunately by the time they got to the camp he had reallocated his victims.
He said after several collaborations with other partners, they discovered that he had relocated to Bayelsa State.
According to him, they immediately mobilized from Rivers State and collaborated with their base in Bayelsa and stormed the camp where he relocated the victims.
He further moved them because he understands the terrain very well.
He said when they got to the second location, they mounted pressure on him and an ultimatum was given to his collaborators as God would have it, on the 21st of midnight May, 2022, the victims were rescued unharmed.
He said that troops of the Nigerian Navy deactivated the two camps of the mastermind of the abduction saying that efforts are on top gear to arrest him.
He said the rescued victims will be handed over to their families after a thorough medical examination to ascertain their state of health.
He assured residents of Rivers State who transit through the waterways of their safety, saying that the Nigerian Navy will continue to police the waterways to enable residents to go about their legitimate businesses.
