Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Saturday, arrested two suspected members of a band of sea pirates in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
The suspects werearrested while fine-tuning plans to hijack a crude oil-laden vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.
According to security sources, the two suspects 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, were nabbed at a hotel on Tenacious Street in the Edepie area of Yenagoa.
The security sources further said that 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.
It said that Unueze was the financier of the operation, while Atizara was tasked with recruiting additional pirates.
The source further said; “The suspects have admitted to being part of a high-profile criminal network operating in the South East and South-South geopolitical zones, mainly profiting from sea piracy and kidnapping.
“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,” one of the sources declared.
Similarly, another source disclosed that the DSS, in concert with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies, has intensified intelligence-driven operations to curb maritime security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea.
The source said; “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”.
It was also gathered that the arrest of the two suspected sea pirates in Bayelsa state, marked additional successes by security agencies in the region.
The DSS in separate joint operations with sister security agencies and forest guards, about a week ago, rescued some abducted pastors and other individuals in Kaduna and Borno States.
