Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, on Saturday, January 24, arrested two men suspected to be members of a sea piracy syndicate during an operation carried out in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
The arrests were made at a hotel located on Tenacious Street in the Edepie area of the city, following intelligence reports on an impending maritime crime.
Security sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media, said the suspects were apprehended while allegedly concluding plans to hijack a crude oil–laden vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.
According to the sources, initial intelligence findings, supported by confessional statements, indicated that the suspects and other members of the syndicate intended to seize a vessel, abduct its crew and steal the cargo.
“Operatives of the DSS on Saturday arrested two suspected members of a band of sea pirates in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, as they were fine-tuning plans to hijack a crude oil-laden vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.
“Preliminary intelligence, corroborated by the suspects’ confessional statements, revealed that the men, along with other band members, were plotting to seize a vessel, abduct its crew, and steal its cargo.
“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,” the source said.
Another source said the DSS has stepped up intelligence-driven operations in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies to tackle rising maritime security threats in the region.
The source explained that the coordinated efforts had recently led to the interception of pirate speedboats and the rescue of crew members from hijacked vessels off the coasts of Bayelsa and Delta States.
“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 source said.
The DSS was also said to have recorded additional successes in joint operations with other security agencies and forest guards about a week earlier, leading to the rescue of abducted pastors and other victims in Kaduna and Borno States.
Comments