DSS nabs pirates plotting to hijack crude oil vessel in Bayelsa

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested two suspected members of a sea pirate in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State.

It was learnt that the suspects were nabbed on Saturday when they were planning to hijack a crude oil-laden vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.

Security sources confided in Daily Trust on Sunday that they were tracked down at a hotel located on Tenacious Street in the Edepie area of Yenagoa.

The two suspects were identified as Geoffrey Atizara, a 38-year-old native of Aleibiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, and Divine Kelechi Unueze, a 42-year-old from Nekede in Owerri, Imo State.

Daily Trust reports that the DSS, in separate joint operations with other security agencies and forest guards, rescued some abducted pastors and other individuals in Kaduna and Borno States, respectively.

Speaking to our correspondent, one of the officials of the secret police, who requested anonymity, explained that intelligence revealed that the suspects, alongside other members of the pirates, were plotting to seize a vessel, abduct its crew and steal its cargo.

The source noted that the suspects’ confessional statements corroborated the intelligence gathered by the operatives of the secret police.

According to the secret police official, Unueze was 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.

“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,” he said.

Another senior official disclosed that the DSS, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies, has intensified intelligence-driven operations to curb maritime security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea.

He said, “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 arrest of the two suspected sea pirates in Bayelsa state, marks additional successes by security agencies in the region.”

Efforts to get official reaction to know when the arrested suspects would be charged to court proved abortive as calls to the official line of the secret police agency did not connect.

Text messages and official mail sent to the known phone contact and email addresses were yet to be replied as at the time of filing this report on Sunday.

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