The Department of State Services (DSS) has recorded another breakthrough in the fight against maritime crime with the arrest of two suspected sea pirates in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The suspects were reportedly arrested on Saturday while finalising plans to hijack a crude oil-laden vessel in the Gulf of Guinea—an area that has remained a hotspot for piracy and kidnapping in the Niger Delta.
Those arrested 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. They were nabbed at a hotel along Tenacious Street in the Edepie axis of Yenagoa.
Security sources said intelligence findings, backed by confessional statements, showed that the suspects were part of a larger criminal network involved in sea piracy and crew abduction for ransom across the South-South and South-East regions.
Unueze was alleged to be the financier of the planned operation, while Atizara was responsible for recruiting additional members for the gang.
According to the sources, the arrest has significantly disrupted the activities of the syndicate, noting that the group had the capacity to carry out large-scale maritime attacks in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea.
The DSS, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies, has intensified intelligence-led operations in Bayelsa and neighbouring coastal states, leading to the interception of pirate speedboats and the rescue of kidnapped crew members off the coasts of Bayelsa and Delta states.
The latest arrest, security officials said, underscores the renewed commitment of security agencies to securing Nigeria’s maritime environment.
About Author
