The Nation Newspaper

Tag: hijack

  • Bayelsa PDP vows to resist hijack of party structure 

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the weekend, vowed to stop attempts by some of its estranged members to hijack the party’s structure ahead of the 2019 general election.

    Speaking after the PDP’s State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting in Yenagoa, Chairman of the party Mr. Cleopas Moses insisted PDP would not be used as a platform by “anti-democratic forces” to impose their candidates on the party.

    He said political jobbers and miscreants jostling to take over the party should look elsewhere.

    Moses hailed the National Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, for not dissolving the state’s executive despite pressure on him by some elements  to do so.

    He maintained that the party in the state is strong and united, assuring the national caretaker committee of victory in the state.

    He said: “Those  pushing for dissolution of the state exco were the same people that tried but to no avail to use the defunct Transformation Ambassador of Nigeria (TAN) to detribalise the state in the wake of the 2015 election.

    ”Having failed to stop the re-election of the governor in 2016 , the same characters have regrouped to undemocratically take over Bayelsa State party structure ahead of 2019 with the aim of foisting Governor Seriake Dickson’s successor on PDP executives.

    “Their plans will fail and they shall be resisted by this exco. These anti-democratic forces calculating to hijack state structure to crudely impose candidates of their choice, including the PDP governorship candidate, on the party shall be resisted by the real PDP family.”

    Moses also reaffirmed the party’s support for the restoration government of Dickson and praised the governor for his achievements in the state.

  • Soldier, policeman, others paraded for tanker hijacking, robbery

    Soldier, policeman, others paraded for tanker hijacking, robbery

    The Oyo State Police Command on Wednesday paraded a serving soldier and a police inspector for allegedly hijacking   fuel-laden trucks on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 38 other  suspects were also paraded for offences ranging  from armed robbery, kidnapping and  stealing to  cultism.

    Addressing  newsmen at the police headquarters in  Eleyele, Ibadan, Mr Abiodun Odude, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police,  said  the suspected hijackers often wore camouflage and police uniforms to carry out their operations.

    “The alleged hijackers of fuel-laden trucks usually wore military camouflage and police uniform in their operations.

    “They were nabbed by the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad of Oyo State during one of their operations on April 15 at about 8.am after they waylaid a fuel-laden DAF tanker with registration number  APC 937 XB on a bad portion at Shasha, near Ojoo, on Ibadan-Oyo Road.

    “The suspected policeman would be recommended for dismissal from the Nigeria Police for professional misconduct,’’ he said.

    Odude said both the soldier and the policeman confessed that they actually participated in the crime.

    In another incident,  a suspect  allegedly conspired with others to abduct his  own father.

    Odude said that the kidnapping of the suspect’s  father took place at Igboora in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area on May 17 at about 6pm.

    “ The suspect said he got a share of less than N1 million in the ransom collected although he confessed that his father never offended him,’’ he said.

    He said that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation was completed.

    Similarly, six suspects said to be  involved in the kidnapping of  popular Ibadan-based oil magnate and Chief Executive Officer of Bovas Oil and Gas Limited were also paraded.

    Items recovered from the suspects included  firearms,  nine  vehicles, one motorcycle,  N1.2 million,  musical instruments, knife and phones.

     

  • Navy foils pirates’ attack on oil tanker

    Navy foils pirates’ attack on oil tanker

    Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) NWAMBA have foiled attempt by sea pirates to hijack a British Merchant Vessel, MT VECTIS OSPREY.

    The operatives while responding to a distress call at about 20 nautical miles offshore of Bonny, were said to have engaged the pirates who were about boarding the vessel.

    It was gathered that the ship’s crew had sent a distressed call to Naval Regional Maritime Awareness Centre (RMAC) through the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), noting the service of pirates attack.

    Consequently, NNS NWAMBA was deployed to the scene, where it engaged the pirates in a gunduel forcing them to flee.

    Confirming the rescue, the Director, Naval Information, Commodore Chris Ezekobe it occurred on Wednesday, adding that the navy’s Special Forces boarded the vessel and rescued the crew members who locked themselves in a citadel.

    “The crew and cargo of MT VECTIS OSPREY are safe while investigation has also commenced in order to unravel the circumstances of the attempted hijack, especially with regards to the current trend of involvement of crew members in attacks on their own vessels.

    “Ship owners are hereby advised to profile their crew before embarking them onboard to avoid situations in which some disgruntled crew members stage-manage attacks on their own vessels.

    “The Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas is poised to eliminate all forms of criminal activities in the maritime domain, hence several initiatives have been made in this regard,” he said.

  • Navy arrests another oil tanker’s hijack suspect

    Navy arrests another oil tanker’s hijack suspect

    The Nigerian Navy (NN) has arrested a key suspect in last month’s hijack of an oil tanker, MT MAXIMUS off the coast of Sao Tome.
    This disclosure was made by the Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft on Saturday while handing over the tanker to the Managing Director, Super Maritime Nigeria Limited, Rene Von Loenens.
    Although the name and nationality of the suspect was not given, it was learnt that the suspect and six ‘pirates’ earlier arrested will be handed over to the police for prosecution at the end of investigation.
    Adaji who said the vessel was recovered about 300 nautical miles south of Lagos and very close to Sao Tome disclosed that nothing has been heard on the abduction of two crew members (Rohen and Sadiq) by some of the pirates.
    ”The suspects arrested will be prosecuted accordingly and the ship owners have undertaken to present crew members to come and testify if they are required in the course of investigation.
    ”The release of the vessel does not signify an end to the prosecution of the pirates that are currently under investigation.
    ”Preliminary investigations have been ongoing since February 22 in conjuction with international and civil police authorities.
    ”We have come to a point that we can release the vessel and its crew to proceed on their businesses.
    ”So we are garthered to witness the formal handover of MT Maximus to the owner of the ship.
    ”As well as international passports and travel document of the crew so that they will not be further hampered by these unfortunate incident from which they are still recovering.
    “The two kidnapped crew members were taken in a boat before the NN ship that rescued the vessel got to the scene. We do not have information of their whereabouts and the navy has not been contacted for assistance,” he said.
    While appreciating the Navy for rescuing the vessel and its crew, Loenen said the kidnappers have not made contacts with the ship company to demand ransom or for any other reason.
    The pirates had hijacked MT MAXIMUS, a Saudi Arabian oil tanker, chartered by a South Korean company carrying 4,700 metric tons of AGO off the coast of Cote D’Ivoire.
    They renamed the vessel MT ELVIS-5, after beating the 18 crew members to submission and holding them captive, until the Nigerian Navy came to their rescue.

  • 25 foreigners rescued as Navy foils hijack of ship

    25 foreigners rescued as Navy foils hijack of ship

    Twenty five foreigners including Britons, South Africans, Indians, Filipinos and Thais were rescued as the Nigerian Navy foiled an attempt by suspected sea pirates to hijack and abduct the 25 foreign nationals aboard a Maersk merchant ship.

    At the time of the attack, the Ship was carrying general cargo to Nigeria.

    Executive Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder Navy Capt. Olusegun Soyemi, said yesterday at Onne Port in Rivers State, that the vessel berthed safely with the rescued crew members unharmed.

    Capt Soyemi said the crew members, including the ship’s captain, were of mixed nationalities consisting of eight Philippines, eight South Africans, five Indians, two Britons and two from Thailand.

    According to him, Safmarine Kuramo, a Maersk merchant ship registered in Singapore, was transporting general cargo from Port-Noire, Congo, to Onne Sea Port in Rivers.

    “On Jan. 5 at about 08:00 hours; Sufmarine Kuramo was attacked by sea pirates about 60 nautical miles off the coast of Bonny Island (in Rivers) Fairway Bouy.

    “We got may-day distress call that the ship was boarded by unconfirmed number of sea pirates after entering the nation’s territorial waters.

    “We immediately dispatched a warship (NNS Centenary) and attack gunboats led by Navy Capt. Chiedozie Okehie of the Eastern Naval Command to rescue the situation.

    “The sea pirates apparently on sighting advancing naval troops fled the scene for fear of being arrested by our operatives.

    “The operation was largely successful as all 25 foreign crew members, including the captain, are safe and unhurt, while cargo onboard the ship is intact,” he said.

    Capt. Soyemi said the pirates had fired several gunshots at the ships control room apparently to scare and subdue any resistance from the captain and crew members.

    Also, the Commanding Officer of NNS Centenary, Capt. Chiedozie Okehie, who led the operation, said the crew members locked and hid themselves in the ship’s citadel (engine room).

    He said the rescue was successful partly due to the courage and bravery exhibited by the ship’s captain – a woman.

    According to him, in spite all odds, she covertly gave navy operatives briefs while pirates on board the ship made several attempt to break into the citadel.

    “Immediately we got to the ship, we carried out thorough searches of the compartments and cabins to check if any pirate remained onboard.

    “Investigations are ongoing to ascertain what happened and who carried out the attack,” he assured.

    Capt. Okehie said the navy under the command of Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas remained fully committed to safety of the nation’s waterways and maritime environment.

    Speaking, the Captain of Safamarine Kuramo, Ms Zetta Gous-Conradie, a South African, described the experience as horrific.

    Gous-Conradie hailed the Nigerian Navy for its prompt response to her distress call.

    “We are very grateful when the navy came onboard because at some point we had thought the pirates would take us hostage.

    “The heat was stifling because the temperature was very hot at the citadel, and at some point my crew members and I had thought we would suffocate and die,” she said.

  • Atiku: I didn’t hijack APC structure

    Atiku: I didn’t hijack APC structure

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday denied the allegation that he has hijacked the All Progressives Congress (APC) structure in preparation for the 2019 presidential race.

    The statement described the insinuation as a figment of the peddlers’ imagination.

    He urged Nigerians to ignore such insinuation.

    The statement reads:  “He notes that the recent outcomes of the National Assembly election contrary to insinuations are products of interplay of politics which is itself in constant motion.

    “In politics, it is a mistake to expect fixed outcomes. As the President has done, let’s all come to terms with what has happened in the interest of the system and move on. Suffice it to say that the new administration should be allowed a smooth take off and be allowed the atmosphere to deliver. On this, I stand with President Buhari.

    “The Turaki Adamawa while restating his unalloyed commitment to the Buhari administration pledged to back this commitment with all of the assets at his disposal.

    “Not only did Atiku Abubakar congratulate Buhari after his emergence as the presidential candidate of the APC at the party’s national convention in Lagos, he also handed over his best assets to the Buhari Presidential Campaign. The former Vice President enthusiastically handled the diplomatic assignment of seeking endorsement for Dr. Adesina as the President of the African Development Bank on behalf of President Buhari and would be available for any other assignments as the President pleases.

    “Make no mistake about it Atiku Abubakar holds Buhari in the highest esteem, and would always remain loyal to him, and support him in every endeavour to succeed as president.”

    “The APC chieftain also called on Nigerians with members of the President’s own party taking a lead in their undiluted support of his administration.

    “We, the members of the President’s own family need to lead in this direction for others to follow for the good of our nation and its peoples.

    “It has become crystal clear even to the blind that the motives of these hatchet men who are desperate to take every available newspaper space is to insult, vilify and calumniate the former Vice President.

    “We cannot allow liars, denigrators and blackmailers and their sponsors to use Atiku as platform to ingratiate themselves with President Buhari and hijack his presidency under the pretext of loving him more than anyone else. These political ventriloquists are hiding behind the cover of anonymity to achieve their sinister agenda of making Atiku the fall guy in the unfolding political developments.”

    He said it was dangerous for any individual or group in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to constitute themselves into an opposition against their party.

    Atiku, who is also a chieftain of the party, advised that personal interest should not be allowed to pose a threat to the new administration and democracy.

    According to a statement from his Abuja media office by Mazi Paul Ibe , Atiku urged groups in the party to take the sustenance of the nation’s democracy into consideration.

    The statement quoted Atiku as saying that: “Anything to the contrary may jeopardise our hard-earned democracy and constitute a clog in the wheel of the new administration.”

    He added that following the challenge of building a functional Nigeria that is ahead of the President, he needs the support for good governance that could culminate in a better life for Nigerians.

    The former Vice President asked his members to emulate the unity of all the presidential contestants after the party’s primary election in Lagos and support the President to form his government and get to work in earnest.

  • 2015: Concerns in Niger Delta over hijack of gunboats

    2015: Concerns in Niger Delta over hijack of gunboats

    There is anxiety within military circles in the Niger Delta over a peaceful general election in the region next year. Reason: The killing of military personnel and hijack of gunboats.

    No fewer than 11 soldiers have been killed or declared missing in President Goodluck Jonathan’s home state of Bayelsa since November. The uniforms of the soldiers were taken away. Two gunboats hijacked are yet to be found.

    The incidents have led to speculations that the arms and ammunition and uniforms that were hijacked from the military are being used by criminals to build armouries, which could be used to cause mayhem during the elections.

    A military officer told our reporter: “The development should be a source of concern to all well-meaning Nigerians, not just security operatives. Security challenges occur mostly when you have arms and ammunition in the hands of people not legally permitted to bear arms. And when there is the possibility that they could be parading with these weapons while dressed as military men makes it even more worrying.”

    The source, who asked not be mentioned because of his sensitive position, noted that security reports from Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states indicated that former militants and criminals are regrouping.

    “The situation is worrisome. In Bayelsa State, for instance, in the past two months there have been no fewer than three attacks on military convoys. The gunboats, arms and ammunition of the soldiers were carted away.

    “The most disturbing part is that over months after, none of these gunboats have been found; nobody knows where they are or who has them. This makes us to believe that the crafts were deliberately hijacked for sinister purposes,” our source added.

    However, the outgoing Media Coordinator of the Joint Task Force Headquarters in the region, Lt Col Anka Mustapha, told our reporter that there is no cause for concern.

    The military spokesperson, in a telephone chat with our reporter yesterday said: “One of our mandates is to safeguard the entire Niger Delta from all forms of criminality and sundry crimes which have to do with sea robbery, kidnapping and other crimes.”

    Lt Col Mustapha vowed that the recent incident involving the attack on a military convoy in the Brass area of Bayelsa State would not deter the task force, stressing, “That one would not deter JTF from its mandate; it is not deterring us at all and we are on top of the situation.”

    He affirmed that the task force was searching for the three missing soldiers in the ill-fated expedition, adding, “We declared the soldiers missing and efforts are on to rescue them.”

    Besides, he disclosed that some of the 30 gunboats approved for the task force to beef up security in the region area were already arriving.

    “JTF is not relenting in its effort. I mentioned that the military has authorized the release of 30 gunboats. We have started receiving some of the gunboats; they are all meant to enhance our capacity to fight these crimes and criminalities.”

    He hinted that the increased criminality in the waterways, particularly in Bayelsa state was a result of the clampdown on illegal bunkering, which have forced operators of criminal oil rings to seek alternative means of making money.

    “The bunkerers are finding it very difficult so many of them are going into sea robbery because they are not finding that one (bunkering) to be so lucrative. It is something the JTF is not relenting to tackle. We are not doing it alone; we are doing it in collaboration with other stakeholders. We are not sleeping.”

    He assured that the JTF was adequately prepared to tackle any problem that may result during the election, stressing that “we have our mandate and we are very prepared.”

    Despite his assurance, our feelers from military formation in the area revealed growing unease among the ranks and file, who are particularly worried that gunboats and military hardware in the hands of criminals with better knowledge of the terrain could spell doom.

    An officer in one of the formations said, “If you see how JTF operates, who will be able to see how terrible the terrain is. From Yenagoa to Brass for instance, you are moving from one river to the other. People can hide somewhere and see without you seeing the persons. You cannot really understand what the creek is all about somebody can jump on you without you knowing until it is too late. That is why they seem to be having the upper hand.”

  • No individual can hijack APC, says ACN chieftain

    The Deputy National Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Mustapha Boss, yesterday said that it would be impossible for an individual to hijack the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He said the party, which is being formed with the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigerian People Party (ANPP) and some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has a life of its own.

    His words: “It will be impossible for an individual to hijack APC because it has taken a life of its own.”

    Speaking in Abuja during the media presentation of a book, entitled: “Engendering Progressive Politics,” he said following the complex structure that the merging parties adopted to formulate its basis of existence, it would be impossible for anyone to have an overwhelming influence on APC.

    Boss the APC merger was unique compared with any other alliance ever recorded in the political history of the country, as individuals were insulated from the merging process.

    He said: “Let me give you an assurance. In the past, even the merger processes were never structured. But you can see that we have decided to do things differently this time. Individuals were completely insulated from the process and the merging political parties were asked to bring teams and these teams went through the hierarchy: some from the Board of Trustees to the National Planning group to the National Executive Committee.”

    The book’s author, Salisu Mohammed, cautioned the new party against individuals hijacking the party.

    He said: “The party must not make the mistake of taking this for granted based on which individuals with ambitions to contest offices would hijack states, local government and ward structures.”

    He said the party needs to come with strong commitment for democratic funding sources.

    Although he accepted that such system of funding is challenging, he said the way to begin it is to start to democratise the processes of fund mobilisation towards renting neutral party offices at all levels.

    Mohammed advised that the interim leaders of APC should be well respected Nigerians whose integrity could hardly be faulted and would represent the best and most knowledgeable.

    According to him, should the interim leaders of APC turn out to be second rate, based on the usual partisan design since 1999 of reserving the best for electoral contest, the potential of the party to emerge as a progressive party would be greatly compromised.

    He also suggested that APC should be rolled out with strong membership mobilisation programme across the country.

    Boss added that Nigerians, no matter their ethnic and religious groups, should be invited to join the party.