DSS NABS SUSPECTED SEA PIRATES, FOILS HIJACK OF CRUDE OIL VESSEL, ABDUCTION OF CREW MEMBERS
Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested two suspected members of a band of sea pirates in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The suspects were apprehended on Saturday at a hotel on Tenacious Street in the Edepie area of the state capital.
Security sources identified the men as Geoffrey Atizara, 38, from Aleibiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, and Divine Kelechi Unueze, 42, from Nekede in Owerri, Imo State. The arrest occurred as the suspects were fine-tuning plans to hijack a crude oil-laden vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.
Preliminary intelligence, corroborated by the suspects’ confessional statements, revealed that the men, along with other band members, were plotting to seize a vessel, abduct its crew, and steal its cargo. The sources stated that Unueze acted as the financier of the operation, while Atizara was tasked with recruiting additional pirates.
“The duo have admitted to being part of a high-profile criminal network operating in the South East and South South parts of Nigeria, mainly profiting from sea piracy and kidnapping,” a source offered.
One source emphasized the significance of the arrest, stating, “Given the sophistication and the resources at the disposal of this pirate band, this arrest has disrupted what could have been a major threat to maritime security in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea region.”
Another source disclosed that the DSS, in concert with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies, has intensified intelligence-driven operations to curb maritime security challenges in the area. “Recent successes include the interception of several pirate speedboats and the rescue of crew members from hijacked vessels off the coasts of Bayelsa and Delta States,” the source disclosed.
The arrest marks additional successes by security agencies in the region. This development follows separate joint operations by the DSS with sister agencies and forest guards barely a week ago, which led to the rescue of some abducted pastors and other individuals in Kaduna and Borno States.
