Nigerian Navy Rescues NNPCL Staff, Foils Kidnap Attempt at New Calabar River in Rivers State

The Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (NNFOB), Bonny has foiled a kidnap incident and rescued two staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) from being kidnapped along the New Calabar River at Elem Tombia in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Commanding Officer of the NNFOB Bonny, Capt. Maksum Mohammed disclosed this on Friday, September 27, 2024 to Kristina Reports in Bonny, Rivers State.

According to him, the FOB Bonny received a distress call on Thursday, September 26, 2024 at about 12noon “regarding a kidnapping incident around New Calabar River general area”.

“It was reported that the incident involved the Port Master and one other staff member of NNPCL Eighteen Offshore Ltd (NEOL), the operators of OML 18.

He stated that the FOB responded by swiftly deploying three gunboats with an aerial surveillance asset to the location of the reported incident, only to “discover that the kidnappers had already conveyed the victims to their camp”.

“However, sensing the imminent arrival of the FOB Quick Reaction Force (QRF), the kidnappers hastily abandoned the victims in a nearby community, Elem Tombia and retreated into the surrounding creeks.”

The NNFOB Commanding Officer further informed that the “QRF successfully rescued the kidnapped victims and immediately initiated a search operation with the aim of apprehending the fleeing criminals”.

He further stated that the QRF conveyed the rescued NNPCL staff back to its Base in Bonny and provided them with trauma analysis and medical support.

Capt. Maksum Mohammed, a former Commander of the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (SBS), assured the various communities in the riverine axis of the State, especially, within the FOB Bonny’s area of responsibility of their safety as the Navy sustains the assertion of security governance across the Maritime Enviroment.