Navy arrests 10 pirates, rescues 18 sailors

Precious Igbonwelundu

THE Navy has arrested 10 suspected pirates who hijacked a Chinese vessel, MV HAILUFANG II, off the Ivorian coast in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

The suspects, all Nigerians, were arrested on Monday night by operatives of the Special Boat Services (SBS) attached to the Western Naval Command (WNC) who responded to a distress call from the vessel hijacked on May 15.

It was gathered that 18 crew members comprising eight Chinese, three Ghanaians and seven Ivorians were rescued all unhurt in the operation that lasted several hours by the SBS detachment onboard Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) NGURU, the warship deployed for the mission.

The Nation gathered that the hijacked vessel was intercepted at about 140 nautical mile south of Lagos Fairway Bouy but the pirates refused to respond to calls through the radio.

They also refused to stop when ordered to do so using the loud hailer, it was learnt.

Despite warning shots, the pirates pressed on until the SBS team,  with firing cover from the naval ship, carried out opposed boarding  and took control of the vessel.

The suspects were subsequently mopped up but their weapons were yet to be found. It was gathered that they claimed they threw their firearms into the water when NN operatives overpowered them to prevent being linked to their sponsors.

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Sources said their ploy to keep their sponsors anonymous was unsuccessful as the operatives recovered a satellite phone they used in communicating with the alleged sponsor.

In their confessional statement, the pirates alleged that they were contracted and taken to Abidjan and Ghana about three months ago by one Commander Johnson, who provided them with three pump action rifles.

They also confessed that while in Ghana, they attempted to hijack a vessel but failed before they targeted the Chinese vessel and succeeded, adding that they were enroute Delta State before the navy foiled their plans.

Director of Naval Information, Commodore Suleman Dahun confirmed the arrest, adding that they will be handed over to the appropriate agency as soon as preliminary investigations were concluded.