FIVE members of a deadly sea
pirate gang, with the code name COJA , which has been terrorising many parts of
Africa, have been arrested after the gang hijacked an oil vessel on the Lome
waterways in Togo.
The arrested pirates are Nubers
Blessing; Sola Sama also known as Michael Babalola or Pere John and
Captain Mike. Olusola Adeolu and Olugbenga Olagoke were arrested by
the Special Task Force set up by the Nigerian Maritime and Safety
Administration Agency (NIMASA).
The task force is also on the trail
of the leader of the gang and other members who escaped during a
swoop on a vessel the gang had earlier hijacked around Lome in Togo.
Nubers Blessing, an Ijaw fom
Akpata area, Ondo State, while speaking with Crime & Security
confirmed to be “ not just a member of the sea pirate gang but the second
in command of the gang,” and confessed to have made a lot of money from
the illegal deal.
Blessing, who boasted
that he is the commander of all oil vessel hijackers in Nigeria, revealed
that he made at least 10 million naira from a single vessel being hijacked,
confessing that the gang was backed by some influential personalities in the
country, though he refused to mention names.
He said, “The operation was
sponsored by powerful people. They are even in the presidency. There is a lot
of money in the oil theft business,” he noted.
After his arrest, Blessing
informed Crime & Security that “There is nothing to hide about
it again. I am their commander. Even ‘Wazobia’ who was first arrested is my
boy. I have lost count of the number of vessels we have hijacked,” the suspect said
only God could put an end to oil theft business in Nigeria, considering how
lucrative it had grown over the years.
He further revealed that there were
about one thousand trained pirates across Nigeria equipped to confront
whatever challenges that security operatives might throw at them.
The suspect also indicted officials
of governments agencies including NNPC and Ministry of Petroleum Resources,
claiming that officials of the ministry provided them with basic
information ,with which the gang operated."
“Once we complete the
assignment, we inform the pointsmen who would also contact another team from
the cabal who take charge of the hijacked vessel and offload the oil which is
deposited in the various oil facilities in the country for distribution by the
oil marketers and merchants. We do not engage in the sale of the products
once we complete our own assignment, but we also assist at times to monitor
through arms support,” Blessing confessed.
The suspect admitted that the gang
had in the past killed some of their victims and some security personnel, who
dared them during operations.
Sama, another member of the
gang said that he joined the gang after serving in the past as a marketer
of stolen oil . He however denied making much money as the active members
of the sea pirates. He said that is why he begged to be included in the real
gang. According to him “Whenever we shared money, they always gave me a
little share. So, one day, I went to them and begged that I wanted to join
them. Then Ateke took me to Blessing after much begging and the group later
accepted me.”
The arrest of Captain Mike, the
captain of the operational ship of the gang and his confessional statements led
to the arrest of Olusola Adeolu, who claimed to be a graduate of School of
Oceanography, Lagos.
The 28-year-old said he joined the
gang so as to pursue his dream of studying abroad, but insisted that he was
held hostage to be part of the gang. He said that he was originally contacted
to repair the damaged engine of a vessel in Ondo when the gang members held him
hostage and forced him into the gang.
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