But for the swift intervention of the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy the number of casualties and kidnap victims would have been more than was recorded, Kristina Reports has reliably learnt.

Also, the abducted victims were transferred from a commercial speedboat they had boarded to return to Bonny main town from the Banigo Isile-Ogono after the funeral they attended to pay last respects to their departed colleague.

The four abductees are Thompson Micah Allison, Theophilus Ibiama, Daniel Dagogo Robert Hart and Sunny Hart, all titled citizens of Bonny Kingdom.

An eyewitness, who spoke to Kristina Reports today on condition of anonymity, said the hoodlums fled when alerted of the approach of the military gunboats.

“Yes, it was when (Local Government) chairman called the Army and Navy that the boys drove off in a haste as if something was chasing them.”

“When the JTF and Navy gunboats arrived we now understood why they had to leave in a haste. Even the people they abducted, they were in a boat that was loading at the waterside. They were waiting for the passengers to be complete when the incident happened.”

Kristina Reports learnt that the approach of troops from the 146 battalion of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB) in two gunboats, the armed hoodlums bolted away from the scene in the speedboat they came with.  

The source said from the action of the suspected criminals, it was obvious they were determined to kill as many people as possible and kidnap at random when securing their primary targets failed.

“From what we observed, it’s like they couldn’t properly identify those they came for. Maybe the person guiding them couldn’t get it right. So, they started shooting at random and injured several people. It was a horrific sight to behold.”

“Like I told earlier, only one of them was wearing a mask and we suspect that maybe the Bonny person among them. Obviously, he could not give them what they wanted.”

A top military source, who preferred not to be named, said “it was the intervention of our men, I mean the JTF and the Navy that frightened the criminals to run away. We’re on their trail and will definitely catch them.”

On the issue of the kidnap victims he corroborated the information, saying, ‘yes, it appears they were not able to get who they wanted and had to transfer these guys who had entered the boat to come back to Bonny into their own boat and sped off.”

According to the Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Rivers State Command, Nnamdi Omoni, investigations were on to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.