DSS Busts Piracy Syndicate Planning Oil Vessel Hijack In Gulf Of Guinea

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested two suspected members of a 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.

Naijaonpoint reports that the suspects were arrested on Saturday at a hotel located on Tenacious Street in the Edepie area of the state capital.

According to The Punch, officials of the DSS, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the arrest followed credible intelligence that the suspects were in the final stages of planning the attack.

One of the sources said preliminary intelligence, corroborated by confessional statements obtained from the suspects, revealed that the group intended to seize a vessel, abduct its crew and cart away its 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,” the source said.

The source added that the suspects admitted to being part of a high-profile criminal network operating across the South-East and South-South regions of the country.

“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 source said.

“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.”

Another security source disclosed that the DSS, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies, had intensified intelligence-driven operations to tackle rising maritime security threats in the region.

The source said recent joint efforts had 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.

“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 arrests, according to the source, add to a series of recent security breakthroughs recorded by the DSS across the country.

It was also learnt that the service, in separate joint operations with other security agencies and forest guards about a week earlier, rescued abducted pastors and other victims in Kaduna and Borno states.