SHIP HIJACK LATEST

Fresh light has been shed into the reported hijack of a ship in Nigeria, by some members of the Movement for the Actualization of a Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
Even though initial media reports had linked the ships disappearance to the MASSOB, a leader of the group; Uchenna Madu, on Tuesday denied reports that the group was involved in the alleged hijacking of merchant ship and her crew.
He said: “I am aware that a militant group sometime gave the Federal Government twenty one-day ultimatum to release Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, failing which they threatened that they will do what will surprise the Nigerian government. May be it is the group, I do not even remember their name, but I heard or read about that threat.
But a clearer picture emerged yesterday when owners of the ship confirmed that she was actually attacked by pirates.
Yesterday, owners of the tanker, which identity was given as MT Leon Dias, disclosed that the 2003-built tanker was “hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea”.
The ship owner, UK-based Clearwater Vessel Tracking confirmed the details. It added that the tanker was enroute Bata in Equatorial Guinea from Lome port in Togo.
Sources confirmed that the tanker was underway from Lome to Bata when the owners lost contact with their vessel, it was later discovered that pirates had managed to board and hijack the vessel.
The Leon Dias with IMO number 9279927 was hijacked in the evening on Friday, January 29, in the Gulf of Guinea in position 02 30N 005 35E.
It was gathered that the vessel was bound for Bata in Equatorial Guinea, but changed its course following the attack and headed towards Cotonou, Benin.
The owners added yesterday that: “A militant group are claiming they were responsible for the hijacking. Since those reports were released the pirates have disembarked, kidnapping five crew members,” Clearwater said.
According to the statement, the five crew member who were kidnapped are the Captain, chief engineer, third engineer, electrician, and a fitter.
“The tanker is now underway to Lagos reporting that one crew member has been shot with another crew member wounded, but the seriousness of these two crew members injuries have not been released yet,” the agency added.
But, both MASSOB and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) also yesterday denied having any hand in the hijack of the tanker vessel.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that a spokesman of MASSOB, known as General Ben, reportedly said that the group would take drastic action if their demands were not met swiftly and threatened to blow up the vessel and everybody on it.