DSS Arrests Suspected Sea Pirates, Foil Hijack, Kidnapping of Crude Oil Vessel, Crew
DSS Arrests Suspected Sea Pirates, Foil Hijack, Kidnapping of Crude Oil Vessel, Crew
Agents of the Department of State Services (DSS) have apprehended two suspected sea pirates in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Saturday.
The arrests took place as the individuals were finalizing a plot to hijack a vessel carrying crude oil within the strategic waters of the Gulf of Guinea.
Security sources identified the suspects as 38-year-old Geoffrey Atizara, a native of Aleibiri in Bayelsa’s Ekeremor Local Government Area, and 42-year-old Divine Kelechi Unueze from Nekede, Imo State.
The duo was cornered and detained at a hotel located on Tenacious Street in the Edepie district of the state capital.
Early intelligence reports, bolstered by admissions from the suspects themselves, indicate that the pair belonged to a larger criminal syndicate.
Their objective was to seize a commercial ship, take the crew members hostage for ransom, and siphon off the valuable oil cargo.
According to investigators, the roles within the conspiracy were clearly defined: Unueze allegedly served as the primary financial backer for the mission, while Atizara was responsible for scouting and recruiting more members to join their pirate cell.
The suspects reportedly confessed to being active participants in a sophisticated criminal network spanning the South-East and South-South regions.
This syndicate has long profited from high-stakes maritime robbery and kidnapping operations across Nigeria’s coastal states.
Security officials noted that the arrest has successfully neutralized a significant danger to maritime commerce. They emphasized that given the resources and advanced planning involved, the group posed a major threat to the stability of the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea.
In response to such threats, the DSS—working alongside the Nigerian Navy and other security organs—has ramped up intelligence-led patrols. These coordinated efforts have recently led to the recovery of pirate speedboats and the successful rescue of several kidnapped sailors off the coasts of Delta and Bayelsa.
This latest success in Bayelsa State underscores an intensifying crackdown on regional insecurity. It follows a string of recent victories, including joint operations just last week where the DSS and forest guards rescued abducted clergymen and other civilians in Kaduna and Borno States.
