Gunmen suspected to be sea pirates yesterday attacked two tugboats operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC). The attackers also kidnapped the captains of the boats.
Gunmen suspected to be sea pirates yesterday attacked two tugboats operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC). The attackers also kidnapped the captains of the boats.
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A source told SaharaReporters that the incident occurred around 1.30 a.m. on Wednesday. A security source added that the attacks occurred at Peter’s town in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa. The tugboats were reportedly in transit from Nembe to Port Harcourt when they came under attack.
The event led to intensified security patrols by the marine division of the Nigerian police and the Joint Military Task Force known as “Operation Pulo Shield.”
The attacked tugboats were identified as MV Ebizar and MV Smoke, but the identity and nationals of the kidnapped crew members could not be immediately ascertained.
"The gunmen took [the captives] to an unknown place. Nobody knows their whereabouts,” a security source told our correspondent.
The JTF’s media coordinator, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed the attack. He stated that JTF troops had been placed on red alert to trail the abductors of the sailors.
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