Turkish Sailors Held Hostage In Nigeria By Armed Pirates

he Nigerian navy has increased patrol boats to tackle piracy

A group of 10 Turkish sailors has been been kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria.

It is believed they are being held for ransom. The company that operate the ship said there are no initial reports of injuries.

This ship was not carrying freight and another eight sailors managed to escape the kidnap.

Pirates stormed the ship in the Gulf of Guinea, the most dangerous sea in the world for shipping.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with Nigerian and Ghanaian authorities to secure the release of the kidnapped Turkish citizens.

Ömer Çelik, spokesman for the ruling AK Party said the ministry was following the case closely and “working on it”.

73% of all sea kidnappings and 92% of hostage-takings occur in the seas off Nigeria, Guinea, Togo, Benin and Cameroon, according to the The International Maritime Bureau (IMB)

However, the organisation has noted a “a welcome and marked decrease” in attacks in the Gulf of Guinea recently due to an increase in Nigerian Navy patrols.

21 incidents were recorded around Nigeria so far this year, compared to 31 in the same period of 2018.