This weekly update highlights violent criminality in the Niger Delta with a focus on kidnapping for ransom in Cross River State. According to data (see map above), more than 50 incidents of kidnapping and over 15 related fatalities were reported in Cross River State between January 2019 and September 2022. Recent data indicates a rise in incidents of kidnapping for ransom in the State. In August 2022, for instance, armed kidnappers reportedly abducted three clerics at a church in Creek Town, Odukpani LGA. In November, gunmen reportedly attacked two commercial vehicles, abducted nine passengers and injured several others along Ikom-Ogoja Highway between Okomita and Uyanga communities in Akamkpa LGA. Separately, in November, gunmen reportedly invaded a housing estate and abducted the project manager of a construction company in Calabar, the state capital. More recently, on November 18, 2022, gunmen reportedly abducted two medical doctors and two other residents along Calabar-Ikom Highway in Okomita community, Akamkpa LGA. The kidnappers allegedly demanded a 100 million naira ransom.
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