Samson Raphael, an official of
the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has lauded the Nigerian Navy for
rescuing him and three of his colleagues from kidnappers in Rivers state.
Raphael, a senior immigration
inspector from the Rivers marine command of the service, was abducted alongside
three others by suspected militants on Tuesday.
The other victims are: Peter
Ofili, Asuquo Ededet and Hafiz Moyi.
The officer, who spoke with NAN in
Port Harcourt on Thursday, said they were kidnapped while travelling on board a
speed boat.
“We left Bonny Island on board a
speed boat for an official assignment in Onne. On our way to Onne, we were
apprehended by gunmen at about 8am on Tuesday,” he said.
“Immediately the kidnappers
stopped our boat, they pointed their guns at us and threatened to shoot if we
did not cooperate.
“Thereafter, they forcefully took
us and sailed the sea for about 10 hours before we arrived their camp.”
He said they were kept in a hut
after they arrived the kidnappers’ camp in a dense mangrove forest.
“Later, our abductors told us
that they will contact our superiors to demand for our ransom. They threatened
to bury us alive if NIS and our families failed to cooperate.
“Thankfully, they were unable to
carry out their threats due to the timely intervention by troops of the
Nigerian Navy that raided the camp on Wednesday.
“On the day of our rescue, we
heard heavy gunshots and immediately laid flat on the floor. We suspected that
such superior fire power could come only from security agencies.
“Afterwards, we saw naval
operatives shooting and pursuing the fleeing captors. Later some navy personnel
came to where we were held and rescued us.”.
Adegoke Ebo, executive officer,
Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, said the navy had
immediately deployed gunboats after learning of the abduction.
Ebo handed over the victims to
personnel of the police command in Rivers.
“After we learnt of the abductions
and gathered available intelligence, we conducted a clearance operation on Nov.
13 at the suspected militant camp in Ikelekele, River,” he said.
“The operation, comprised of a
combined officers and men of NNS Pathfinder and Navy Forward Operating Base
(FOB) Bonny, successfully rescued the NIS officers without any casualty.”
He said items recovered from the
suspected militant camp included one Pump action rifle, a locally made gun,
7.62mm ammunition, hammers, cutters and several mobile phones.
“We were unable to make any
arrest as the suspects escaped from the camp during the raid. However, we saw
traces of blood that suggested that some of them sustained gunshot injuries,”
he said.
“To this end, a search is
currently ongoing with a view to locate and apprehend the hoodlums that fled
the camp.
“We urge the public to report any
suspicious person with gunshot wounds, particularly, those living in
communities where the militant camp exist, to the nearest police station.”
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