As increasing sea banditry threatens vital maritime economic activity and national security, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), backed by its Joint Task Force (JTF) kick-off a powerful, all-out offensive to check these dangers. LOUIS ACHI reports
Maritime vessels hijacking, oil cargo theft and a laundry list of sheer criminality constitute the modus operandi of the sea pirates currently operating in Africa’s Gulf of Guinea off the West Coast. But it appears the days of their curious honeymoon of impunity is sharply numbered as NIMASA’s Joint Task Force has signaled that there couldn’t be two ‘governments’ operating simultaneously in a turf as sensitive as the nation’s strategic maritime sector?
Within a month, NIMASA’s Joint Task Force has not only made a haul of arrests, it has unraveled the mystery surrounding the operations of the dare devil pirates and hijackers involved in the audacious hijack of oil vessels recently. Comprising a combined team of the Navy, Army personnel, officials of NIMASA and Global West Vessel Specialist Limited (GWVSL), a privately owned firm, the recent arrests by the task force followed the attack and seizure last August 28, on MT Energy Centurion, a Greek-operated oil? tanker,? 17 miles off the shoreline of the Togolese Capital, Lome, where it had anchored.?
According to Golden Energy Management, operators of the vessel, the pirates stole about 3,000 of 56,000 tonnes of gas oil it carried and robbed the crew of 23 Russians of their jewelry and money.
As reports of the attack and hijack filtered in, NIMASA’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Hajia Lami Tumaka, immediately informed the Nigeria Navy – and backed by the Airforce – swiftly moved in to rescue the vessel after about six hours of fierce chase pursuit of the marauders. Next, the task force launched an investigation into the incident, spreading its dragnet nationwide.
The fallout from the investigation was significant. Many, including key leaders of the pirates and oil vessel hijackers like Numbers Blessing, who described himself as commander of ship hijackers in Nigeria, were rounded up. Like many others now in detention facing further interrogation, Blessing, an indigene of Gbaramatu, Delta State, was arrested in a Lagos hotel in company of some of his gang members planning another attack on a vessel in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Blessing, who admitted in a confessional statement to the JTF that he led the attack on MT Energy Centurion, further revealed in an exclusive interview with a national daily in Lagos that he got a share of N10million from the operation. According to him, the hijack and theft of the vessel’s oil cargo, like previous others, was sponsored by some powerful Nigerians he declined to name, stating that their sponsors were in the business for financial gains.
He described the business of ship hijacking as highly lucrative, explaining that there were about 1, 250 trained pirates in Nigeria today. He similarly put the quantity of arms, which he described as high-calibre military weapons available to them across the country at about 3,000.
On their modus operandi, Blessing who claimed to have been born in 1985, stated that, “Once there is a ship to be hijacked, our sponsors get across to us through their point men. We then move to get the details about the vessel from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC and then seek support from relevant security agencies. We operate on an agreed fee and between 70 and 80 percent of the fee is paid before we embark on the operation and the balance is paid immediately after the operation.
“Once we complete the assignment, we inform the point-men, who immediately get in touch with another group also working for the sponsors to take charge of the hijacked vessel, get the oil off loaded into another vessel to deposit it in various oil storage facilities for distribution and sale to oil marketers and merchants, we do not engage in the sale of oil products, we do, however, assist at times to monitor it through arms support.
“I can’t remember the number of killings we have done since we have been in this business, it is always like we are at war when we are in operation. I am not rich but I am comfortable. Those who are rich and are really making money from the business are the sponsors; they are the beneficiaries and they are highly placed. To successfully fight oil theft in Nigeria, you have to start from the presidency, the NNPC, SSS, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and other top players in the oil industry.
“There can be no successful vessel hijacking in West Africa or Africa as a whole without inputs from Nigeria oil mafias, including top government functionaries. For any successful major sea crime, Lagos plays a major role. Build-up meetings to the operations are held in Lagos, lodgements of huge sums for operations are made here. It serves as hide-outs for criminal elements.
For every impending operation, huge sums are set aside for relevant security services. That is why you hardly see any meaningful thing coming out of the fight against pirates and vessel hijacking. Once you are arrested and handed over to security agents it tends there.”
LEADERSHIP gathered that Blessing’s identification and consequent arrest was aided by the security camera on board MT Centunium. Calls made by the bandits while the operation lasted on board the vessel were comprehensively recorded. They had been sent to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Malaysia, which mailed them to the task force to aid investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Others arrested over the same operation with Blessing? were Sola Sama? also known as Michael Babalola or Père John, from? Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and Captain Mike. Still at large are Ateke, Jonathan, Tari, Ebere, Solo, Ogene? and Abedi. Sama, 27, who told security agents that he was recruited to become a pirate by Blessing, Ateke Bright, Ogene and Abedi further told the operatives that Ateke from Balabri in Bayelsa State, Blessing and Ogene had always provided them with arms for operations. Abedi, who from time to time led the gang along with Blessing, also said he arranges buyers for stolen oil products after operations.
From LEADERSHIP checks, no fewer than 36 foreign vessels have so far fallen victims of the dare-devil pirates this year alone. The battle with pirates on Nigerian waters has lately assumed an alarming proportion and inflicted considerable stress on NIMASA. The first major breakthrough for the agency came recently after the hijacking and diversion of MT Anuket Emerald to drain her oil cargo.
A vessel, MV Ejenavi owned by Eagle Maritime superintended by Captain Nicholas Okotie as Managing Director (MD)/CEO with a crew of about 16 armed pirates, investigations later revealed, had carried out the attack on the foreign ship, draining her oil cargo into another vessel, MT Grace allegedly belonging to Akoto Ventures.
It was gathered that MT Grace thereafter moved to Lagos to deposit the stolen oil in some tank farms in Apapa for distribution and sale.? MT Grace is reportedly now in the custody of security operatives. A report of the incident by the ICC-International Maritime Bureau (Piracy Reporting Centre), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had revealed the incident to have happened to the oil/chemical tanker carrying a Panama flag and laden with a total cargo of 3’450.443 metric tons on August 18, 2012 close to the port of Lome, Togo.
The pirates, who spoke French but were recognized to be Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Togolese nationals, were said to have aggressively attacked the ship for five days, bearing 16-20 sub machine and machine guns and AK47 riffles, which they actually used for the attack to cause extensive damage to the ship before boarding it with extended ladders.
No injuries were caused any of the 17 crew members and one technician of the fully hijacked vessel made up of three Russians, 12 Filipinos, one Ukrainian, one Latvian and a Lithuanian.?
Investigations later led security agents to the rustic coastal town of Igbokoda in Ondo State to find and arrest some notorious pirates allegedly involved in the MT Emerald hijack. The town was also found to accommodate a training camp for pirate recruits.