Tuesday June 10, 2025|
The Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) has raised serious concerns about emerging threats to political gatherings in Nigeria, following a foiled plot to kidnap top politicians during the Eid El-Kabir holiday in Akwa Ibom State.
The plot, which was reportedly orchestrated by a notorious gang of sea pirates, was intercepted by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in a covert weekend operation.
In a statement issued on Monday, June 9, 2025, and signed by CHRAN’s Director, Otuekong Franklyn Isong, and its Secretary, Comrade (Barr) Christopher Ekpo, the group praised the DSS for what it described as a timely intervention that prevented a politically motivated crisis.
According to CHRAN, credible security sources revealed that four suspected commanders of the gang were arrested at a hideout in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, along with two AK-47 rifles and six loaded magazines.
The group said the suspects were linked to previous high-profile abductions in the South-South region, including the November 2024 kidnapping of two Chinese nationals and a Nigerian employee of MarkSino Quarry in Cross River State, during which a police officer was killed and his rifle taken.
More alarmingly, CHRAN disclosed that the same gang had targeted political figures expected to attend the defection ceremony of Governor Umo Eno from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), an event that coincided with the Eid El-Kabir celebrations.
“The gang members, according to preliminary security reports, invaded Akwa Ibom State, targeting to kidnap top politicians who attended the formal defection ceremony of His Excellency Governor Umo Eno,” the group quoted a security source as saying.
CHRAN warned that this incident signals an escalating threat to democratic processes and political mobility in the region.
“The history of the operations of this notorious gang primarily involved targeting high-ranking expatriate staff of oil companies, high-net-worth business owners, and prominent traditional rulers across the South-South geopolitical zone,” the security source added, highlighting the scope and ambition of the group’s criminal activities.
The human rights organisation called on the DSS not to relent in its intelligence-led operations, stressing that political events and state ceremonies must be better protected against coordinated attacks. CHRAN noted that the prevention of this plot underscored the value of proactive security efforts, especially during politically sensitive periods.
Commending the DSS for what it called “strategic security interventions” in the region, CHRAN urged continued vigilance.
“These covert operations are strategically needed to drastically reduce the protracted menace of sea piracy, kidnapping, and other high-profile crimes in the country,” the statement said.
