By Muhammad Mamman
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have foiled an alleged plan to hijack a crude oil-laden vessel and abduct its crew in the Gulf of Guinea, following the arrest of two suspected sea pirates in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Security sources said the suspects were apprehended on Saturday at a hotel on Tenacious Street in the Edepie area of the state capital while finalising arrangements for the operation. The men 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.
Preliminary intelligence, reportedly corroborated by confessional statements, indicated that the suspects and other members of their gang were planning to seize a crude oil vessel, abduct crew members and steal its cargo.
According to the sources, Unueze was alleged to be the financier of the planned operation, while Atizara was responsible for recruiting additional pirates.
“The duo have admitted to being part of a high-profile criminal network operating across the South-East and South-South regions, mainly profiting from sea piracy and kidnapping,” one of the sources disclosed.
Another source described the arrests as a significant blow to organised maritime crime in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, noting that the sophistication and resources available to the group posed a serious threat to regional maritime security.
Security officials also revealed that the DSS, working in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and other agencies, has intensified intelligence-led operations to tackle piracy and related crimes in the region.
Recent operations, the sources said, have led to 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 suspects marks another success for security agencies operating in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea, coming barely a week after the DSS, in joint operations with sister agencies and forest guards, rescued abducted pastors and other victims in Kaduna and Borno States.
