The Nation Newspaper

Tag: pirates

  • Police arrest two suspected pirates

    Police arrest two suspected pirates

    The Cross River State Command has arrested two suspected pirates, who allegedly attacked fishermen on Edibe Edibe River in Calabar South, Police Commissioner Mr. Hafiz Inuwa said yesterday in Calabar.

    Inuwa, who paraded the suspects, said Isaac Sambo, 20 and Edem Nyong, 25, were arrested following a complaint by Nyakno Friday.

    He said: ‘‘On February 4, Nyakno Friday, who hails from Akpabuyo Local Government, reported at the Efut Divisional Police Headquarters he was attacked by two armed men while fishing.

    ‘‘Friday was robbed of his C2 Nokia phone valued at N7,000 and Nokia 110 phone valued at N4,000 at gunpoint while fishing on Edibe Edibe River.

    ‘‘Upon receiving this information, my men swung into action and arrested Isaac Sambo, 20 and Edem Nyong, 25.

    ‘‘During the search, one locally-made pistol was recovered from the suspects. They confessed and will be arraigned soon.’’

    Speaking to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nyongo said he regretted his action.

    ‘‘I was lured into the act by my friend after efforts to secure a job failed. I regret my action.

    ‘‘If the police free me, I promise not to commit the offence again,’’ he said.

  • Pirates abduct seven Russians, Ukrainian in Niger Delta

    Gunmen operating within the territorial waters of Nigeria around the Niger Delta region abducted seven Russian sailors and a Ukrainian.

    Russian Embassy was said to have raised the alarm that BBC Caribbean ship was attacked by pirates within the Nigerian territorial waters.

    The embassy was quoted as saying: “The BBC Caribbean Ship came under a pirate attack in the territorial waters of Nigeria. Seven Russian citizens and one Ukrainian citizen have been kidnapped from the ship.

    “The Russian Embassy has asked the Nigerian authorities for assistance in establishing the whereabouts of the abducted”.

    It was learnt that the vessel, described as a general cargo ship, was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea, 45 nautical miles, south-west Brass.

    Specifically, the incident was said to have occurred close to the Pennington River where the pirates on a speedboat approached the ship and opened fire on her.

    Though the guards on board reportedly fired back, the gunmen later overpowered the ship and seized her occupants.

  • 25 suspected pirates arrested by NCC

    The Lagos Zonal Office of the Nigerian Copyright Commission has arrested 25 suspected pirates and seized goods worth N76.6 million in 2016.According to Mr Obi Ezielo, the Zonal Manager of the commission ,  the  organisation also carried out the anti-piracy raids within the year under review.

    The locations where the 25 suspected pirates were arrested include; Alaba, Shomolu, Ajegunle and Ojo.He informed  that the action was also extended to some major markets in the state.

    The seized goods include 350,000 copies of optical discs, some home videos, movies, musical works and literary books, suspected of being pirated.Ezeilo said that NCC seized N20 million worth of goods  in Alaba market in March and N1.5million goods in April in the same market.

    ‘’In June, N5 million goods were seized at Shomolu, in July, N50 million worth of goods were also seized in Shomolu while in August, N50,000 worth of goods were seized in Ajegunle Lamlad,” he said.

    Ezeilo said that some of the suspects had been charged to the Federal High Court in Lagos.

    He also informed  that the commission conducted anti-piracy inspection in professional print, publishing and CDs’ distribution outlets within Lagos metropolis where it made some seizures.

    He said that the commission would step up its anti-piracy raids and eradication in 2017.

    “Despite the financial constraints confronting the commission, we will not fail to discharge our mandate, because the eradication of piracy attitude is our utmost priority.”

    He said that though 2016 was a challenging year for the commission, the commission made it marks.

    Ezeilo assured stakeholders of the commission’s zeal and effort to combat piracy in 2017 adding that genuine creators would benefit from the products of their creativity.

  • 26 fishermen held since 2012 freed by Somali pirates

    The crew of a fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates four and a half years ago is finally free after payment of a ransom, officials said.

    There were 29 members on the Taiwan-owned Naham 3 fishing vessel when pirates occupied it in March 2012 and took them to the north-central Mudug region.

    Three of them reportedly died of illness and mistreatment in the intervening time.

    The remaining 26 members are now free, who  include natives of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and other Asian nations.

    The ship was flagged in Oman.

    The pirates reportedly demanded a ransom of three million dollars, but the source said less than that had been paid.

    The money was believed to have come from the Asian countries’ governments and the hostages’ families.

    The hostages were due to be flown to Kenya to prepare them for repatriation. (dpa/NAN)

  • DON’T PATRONISE PIRATES, MERCY AIGBE PLEADS

    DON’T PATRONISE PIRATES, MERCY AIGBE PLEADS

    NOLLYWOOD actress and producer Mercy Aigbe-Gentry, is pleading with the general public not to buy pirated copies of her latest movie titled Victims, which according to the actress is now being sold on the streets.

    The mother of two was said to have seen the pirated copy, with a friend, who she had to beg to hand it over, for her to help get the original copy. This could also be linked to Jenifa’s Diary, which is said to be on the pirated list at the moment.

    Some of these producers’ colleague over the weekend took to their social platform; asking their fans not to patronise the fake DVD, as this could jeopardise their hard work.

    Having featured in different magazines and national newspaper, Mercy Aigbe-Gentry; the actress, producer, and entrepreneur is not resting, as she is set to bring in exciting storylines to the delight of her fans.

    Victims; a gripping tale of trauma, vengeance and love, is directed by Lancelot Imasuen, and features Mercy Aigbe-Gentry, Seun Akindele, Fathia Balogun, Juliet Ibrahim, Olu Jacobs, Saheed Balogun, Funsho Adeolu and others.

  • 14 broadcast, MP3 suspected pirates arrested in Enugu

    14 broadcast, MP3 suspected pirates arrested in Enugu

    •N12.7m equipment recovered

    Operatives of the Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC) arrested yesterday in Enugu 14 suspected pirates in a morning raid.

    Eleven of the suspects allegedly operated the MP3 while three others engaged in broadcast piracy.

    The raid, led by the agency’s Director of Enforcement, Augustine Amodu, resulted in the seizure of equipment worth N12.7 million from the suspects.

    Amodu said the operatives carried out the raids simultaneously in two areas of Enugu.

    The NCC director noted that because the raid was carried out as early as 4 a.m, some of the suspects were caught manipulating their equipment.

    He said the NCC discovered that the suspects gave out subscriptions at N2,000 each to between 50 and 100 houses, adding that each of the suspect had his or her dedicated subscribers.

    Amodu urged the public to stop patronising operators of such broadcast and MP3 piracy outfits because they were illegal.

    The NCC director said the agency would align with the Federal Government’s war against corruption.

    He warned those pirating other people’s businesses to desist because “the tune of the music has changed”.

    Amodu added that the commission had secured 59 convictions since the beginning of the year.

     

  • Pirates kill IYC executive in Bayelsa

    Suspected pirates, operating along Brass waterways, Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, have killed an executive member of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Mr. Deiepreye Peters.

    Peters said to be an indigene of Brass and Secretary of IYC in his clan, reportedly lost his life in the pirate attack that occurred at the weekend.

    It was learnt that the gunmen ambushed and shot at the boat conveying the victim and forced its occupants to flee into the mangroves.

    It was gathered that Peters died of internal bleeding caused by the bullet wound.

    One of his friends, Sam Dogitimi, described the victim as his former colleague in Brass Local Government Area saying they fought courageously against oil bunkering in the council.

    “Unfortunately, he is gone, no thanks to the notorious sea pirates. They were ambushed by the sea-robbers on Friday, which consequently forced them to run into the Angala (mangrove).

    “Diepreye peters, aka Daddy Offor, died of internal bleeding. For how long shall the people of Brass suffer in the hands of sea pirates?” He said.

    Travelers are constantly robbed, maimed and killed by sea robbers along Brass waterways.

    “This is not the first of such attack that the people of Brass have faced. Therefore there is a need for urgent deployment of navy personnel to protect lives and properties of the Brass people,” a traveler who spoke in confidence said.

    The IYC Spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, confirmed the development and described the incident as sad and unfortunate.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Asinim Butswat, said the report of the incident had not been officially reported to the command.

  • Navy averts pirate attack on three merchant vessels

    Navy averts pirate attack on three merchant vessels

    The Nigerian Navy has averted pirate attack on three merchant vessels, namely MV MOXON, MT AFRICAN BEAUTY and MT MADONA.

    The vessels were attacked around Brass waterways in Bayelsa State on 3 and 4 May 2016. The criminals made spirited effort to seize the vessels but the timely response of the special protective team deployed by the Nigerian Navy successfully dislodged the pirates who fled to evade arrest.

    According to the Nigerian Navy Director of Information Commodore Christian Ezekobe,  the naval patrol team deployed by NNS PATHFINDER discovered and destroyed 2 active illegal crude oil refineries located at NAFCON creek.

    The refineries had 7 storage tanks containing about 10,000 litres of stolen crude oil and 20,000 litres of illegally refined AGO. This is even as the patrol team destroyed a warehouse used by the criminals to hide illegally refined products. The massive warehouse located at Ikpokiri community in Rivers State had GP tanks containing suspected illegally refined AGO.

    He said that consequently, the new tactics of using warehouses by the crude oil thieves has been noted seriously. “Therefore, the Nigerian Navy is warning owners of warehouses in the Niger Delta area to avoid the temptation of leasing out their properties to the criminals. The Service will not be held responsible for damages done to the properties in the course of the current clampdown on crude oil theft, vandalism and piracy in the area,” he concluded.

     

  • Pirates ‘paid $400,000 ransoms’ in West Africa

    Ransoms of up to $400,000 (£273,000) have been paid to gangs which hijacked ships in the Gulf of Guinea in 2015, a maritime report has said.

    The region was the most dangerous in the world for seafarers, with pirates becoming more violent, it added.

    A total of 32 seafarers had been kidnapped so far this year compared to 15 in 2015, the report said.

    Kidnapping for ransom took place mainly in the oil-producing areas off Nigeria’s coast, it added.

    The spike in kidnappings appeared to be linked to political developments in Nigeria, the report by the United States-based group Oceans Beyond Piracy group said.

    There had also been a sharp drop in oil theft last year, which the report put down to improved patrolling of Nigeria’s waters, and the fall in oil prices making it less profitable.

    “In most kidnapping incidents the pirates board the vessel after firing at the bridge to suppress any opposition and intimidate the crew, and then proceed to isolate the ranking officers and engineers, who net the highest ransoms,” the BBC quoted the report as saying on Tuesday.

    “Time permitting, the pirates loot the vessel as well, sometimes spending a few hours aboard. They then escape with the three or four crew members who will be held onshore during negotiations.”

    In most cases, victims were held on small islands in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.

    “The same pirate gangs responsible for these attacks are likely the same groups responsible for kidnapping and violence in the Niger Delta,” the report said.

  • Pirates kill Mopol, two others in Delta creek

    Pirates kill Mopol, two others in Delta creek

    Three persons, including a mobile policeman and two employees of Neconde Energy, were Friday killed in an attack by suspected pirates in the Jones Creek area of Warri South-West council area of Delta.

    Saturday Nation gathered that the victims of the attack were in a company boat when the hoodlums came out of nowhere to open fire on them, leaving three persons dead and many others injured.

    According to a source, who is one of the leaders of the Jones Creek host community, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, the victims of the attack were said to be on a routine assignment, to service their well head.

    Mulade told Saturday Nation that he was going, in company of some other community leaders, to assess the level of damage done and see to evacuating the dead from the area.

    “Pirates attack some workers, leading to casualties. They said one mobile policeman and   two members of staff of Neconde were killed in the attack, while others sustained injuries.

    “It happened about 6:30am today. Nobody was kidnapped, they just opened fire on the company boat that was on a routine assignment, they were going for their well head servicing,” he said.

    When reached  for confirmation of the report, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Delta police command, Celestina Kalu (DSP), said the command was aware of the incident, but would have to get back later with details.