Port Harcourt — Sea pirates armed with sophisticated weapons yesterday afternoon, hijacked barges and tugs carrying building materials for construction giant, Julius Berger, as well as six Nigerians and some expatriates, demanding N20 million ransom.

This is as the six -year-old Prete Anthony, kidnapped on Monday by unknown gunmen, has been released and handed over to her parents, the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Aderemi Adeoye, said, adding that no ransom was paid.

The bandits, who were about 12, stormed the barge in six speed boats, allegedly shot into the air and overtook the barge, forcing it to stop midsea before they boarded, dispossessed them of all valuables before taking them into the creeks.

The attack took place at Calabar River, close to Okirika, where some militants groups claim to be their stronghold, and had been an area prone to several attacks on vessels.

The hoodlums, allegedly on second thought, decided to release one of the hostages, who security sources said is a Nigerian, and threatened that the ransom be paid in record time, or they will blow up the barges and their crew with explosives.

Nationalities of the six crew members were not known as at the time of filing this report, but the vessel was carrying building materials.

Sources said after the vessels were stopped by the pirates, they forced the crew to leave their course and follow another route, which led deep into the creeks.