Pirates Demand ₦100 Million Ransom for Abducted WASSCE Students and Passengers in Rivers State

Port Harcourt, Rivers State – Over a week after their brazen abduction, the captors of 13 passengers, including eight students en route to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), are now demanding a staggering ₦100 million ransom for their release. The victims were kidnapped by pirates along the Port Harcourt–Bille waterways on May 6, 2025, in the Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, leaving families in agony and communities in turmoil.

The abductors hijacked two passenger boats during the incident, seizing all individuals onboard. Dr. Osaki Miller, an indigene and immediate past Youth President of Bille Kingdom, confirmed on Friday that contact had been made with the victims’ families, with the pirates issuing the exorbitant ransom demand.

“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 stated during a press briefing in Port Harcourt. He voiced profound concern for the safety and health of the abductees, especially the young students, and highlighted the immense psychological toll on their families.

“These are young students who were only on their way to write their exams. Their parents are traumatized, 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 implored.

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He 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 added.

Mr. Fibite Bibi, a former Chairman of Bille Community, corroborated the incident and revealed a development in the case. He confirmed 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 questioned, echoing the community’s despair. “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 for an update, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that security efforts have been intensified 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 stated, assuring the public that the police are collaborating with other security agencies to address the critical situation.

This incident is not isolated, as women from the Bille community had previously protested at the Government House, Port Harcourt, earlier this month, demanding action against incessant pirate attacks and the release of the abducted students. Past incidents have also seen communities paying substantial ransoms for kidnapped residents, underscoring the escalating insecurity on these waterways.