It was gathered that the suspects were apprehended on Saturday at a hotel located on Tenacious Street, Edepie area of Yenagoa, while allegedly finalising plans for the operation.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested two suspected members of a notorious sea piracy syndicate in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, over an alleged plot to hijack a crude oil-laden vessel in the Gulf of Guinea and abduct its crew.
It was gathered that the suspects were apprehended on Saturday at a hotel located on Tenacious Street, Edepie area of Yenagoa, while allegedly finalising plans for the operation.
The arrested suspects were identified as Geoffrey Atizara, 38, from Aleibiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, and Divine Kelechi Unueze, 42, from Nekede in Owerri, Imo State.
According to the sources who spoke to security expert Zagazola Makama, preliminary intelligence, backed by the suspects’ confessional statements, revealed that the duo, alongside other members of the gang, were plotting to seize a vessel, kidnap its crew and cart away its cargo.
The sources disclosed that Unueze was the financier of the criminal operation, while Atizara was responsible for 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,” a source was quoted as saying in a statement.
“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,” another source said.
The DSS, working in concert with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies, has intensified intelligence-driven operations to tackle maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.
“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,” one of the sources disclosed.
The arrest of the two suspects, the source added, marks another breakthrough by security agencies in the region.
Barely a week ago, the DSS, in separate joint operations with sister security agencies and forest guards, rescued some abducted pastors and other victims in Kaduna and Borno States.
Sources told Zagazola Makama on Wednesday that the victims were seized on January 19 while they had gone into the bush to fetch firewood near Ajiri Camp in the outskirts of Maiduguri.
The source said the seven were intercepted by the terrorists during the scavenging exercise and taken into the forest
“In the process, two of them managed to escape and returned to Ajiri Camp to alert the community. The abductors also sent one of the boys on a bicycle to go home and raise a ransom of N20 million,” the source said.
He added that upon receiving the information, forest guards working with the DSS mobilised to the area and stormed the terrorists’ enclave.
“The operatives switched off their motorcycles and trekked for almost an hour to avoid detection before engaging the terrorists in a fierce gun battle, which forced the ISWAP elements to flee and abandon their captives,” the source said.