Pirates Kidnap Ten Turkish Sailors Off Nigerian Waters

By Dapo Olawuni

Fresh indications have emerged that daredevil pirates have kidnapped ten Turkish sailors on a cargo ship; Paksoy-1 and taken them hostage off the coast of Nigeria.

A shipping company, Kadioglu Denizcilik raised the alarn on Tuesday.

The shipping company raised the alarm that the 10 Turkish sailors were abducted and taken hostage by armed pirates off the coast of Nigeria on Tuesday, leaving eight others safely aboard the ship.

Kadioglu said its Turkish-flagged Paksoy-1 cargo ship was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea as it sailed from Cameroun to Ivory Coast without freight.

“According to initial information, there were no injuries or casualties.

“Efforts for all our personnel to be safely released continue,’’ the company said in a statement, speaking to reporters.

The spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AK Party said the government was closely following the matter and called for the immediate release of the sailors to safety. He declined to give further details.

Kidnappings and piracy for ransom in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea are common.

Only last week, the International Maritime Bureau described the Gulf of Guinea as the most dangerous area in the world for piracy, noting that 73 per cent of all sea kidnappings and 92 per cent of hostage-takings took place in the Gulf of Guinea.