Hostages Released in Nigerian Pirate Attack
Two high-ranking Nigerian Navy officials confirmed Wednesday that only one vessel – the product tanker Leon Dias, MMSI 9279927 – was hijacked last week by Biafran separatists, clarifying a story recently clouded by conflicting and vague information. According to Nigerian media reports, the officials said that the vessel and her crew have now been released, and that the vessel is currently in the custody of Benin's navy.
Nigerian authorities did not comment on whether the hijackers had been captured following the release of the tanker and her crew.
Commodore Kabir Aliyu, Nigerian Navy Director of Information, told Nigeria's Daily Trust that the ship and crew had been freed. He said in a text message that “the name of the ship is MT LEON DIAS (9279927). An oil tanker [sic], the ship is presently in Benin waters . . . off Cotonou Port and she is under the watch of the Benin Republic Navy.” As of Wednesday, the Leon Dias' AIS signature confirms that she is about five nautical miles off Cotonou.
Separately, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, Acting Director of Defence Information, said that the hijacking had not occurred in Nigerian waters, and that the act was not attributable to either of the organized Biafran groups IPOB or MASSOB. “The story about the hijack has happened but not within our waters and it is not under any particular group,” he said. “But [the ship] is currently being guarded by Benin Republic Navy. The name of the ship is MT Leondias [sic] (9279927), a tanker.”
Separately, he told Nigerian online news outlet Ynajia that the government would not categorize the attack as a politically motivated act of militancy, despite statements by the hijackers' spokesman to the contrary. “I must add that on this issue of militancy, there are no more militants now, what we have are criminals. The Amnesty programme has taken care of the militants,” Abubakar said, referring to a conciliation payments program for Biafran agitators, ended by the government as of December. “The military will treat those behind such acts as criminal and saboteurs; the law will take its course; the security agencies will do their job.”
A leader of MASSOB, Mr. Uchenna Madu, denied that his organization was involved in the incident, but expressed understanding and sympathy for the hijackers and the attack. “You know that a lot of groups are springing up from the old Eastern Region to agitate for the actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra and as far as they are fighting for Biafra, we cannot disown them, but they have their own style which I think the Federal Government of Nigeria understands easily. If you are not violent, they will not understand and they will ignore you. So, we support the group if [the hijacking] is what they have actually done,” he said.
A spokesman, known only as General Ben, had previously told media that the attack was intended to secure the release of Biafran movement leader Nnamdi Kanu, the director of Radio Biafra and head of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He had said that the hijackers would take drastic action if their demands were not met swiftly, up to and including blowing up the vessel.