Eight suspected Nigerian pirates arrested along Ghanaian territorial waters last year have been deported to Nigeria to face trial for their alleged crimes, the Ghanaian authorities have said. The deportation was at the instance of the Minister of Interior, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo, the Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) of Ghana Police, Commissioner of Police David Asante-Apeatu has said.
According to him, the suspects were handed over by a team of officials from the Ghana Police Service, led by DSP Peter Kamaso of the Interpol, Accra to officials of the National Criminal Bureau Lagos (Interpol) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos on January 7, 2016 after an exhaustive legal process. Apeatu while updating journalists on the case of the eight Nigerian pirates arrested in Tema said they were deported to Nigeria for “proper prosecution since the incidence happened in Nigeria territory. “Due to the nature of piracy, international cross- sectoral partnership is vital and this is a typical international cooperation between two police agencies,” he added. The suspects are Molih William, Molih Klinsman, David Jacob, Amos Ebiyaibo, Aki Peggy, John Picolo, Ayetimiyi Oyinle and Pinano Saniyu. The suspects were earlier arraigned before an Accra Magistrate Court 3, Adjabeng in Accra for on a two-count charge of piracy and conspiracy to commit crime. But the trial process was stall due to the inability of the office of the Attorney-General to commence their case against the accused persons.
The suspected pirates were arrested aboard a Nigerian owned vessel MT Mariam in Tema on January 17. The arrest was made following an alert to the Ghanaian Navy by the vessel owner, Sunday Makase that the vessel carrying crude had been hijacked and was heading towards to the coastal waters of Ghana.
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