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NIMASA assures Turkish ambassador of kidnapped seafarers’ rescue

By Adaku Onyenucheya
03 February 2021   |   4:04 am
The Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has assured that kidnapped Turkish seafarers would be rescued.

Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh (left) and Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Melih Ulueren

The Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has assured that kidnapped Turkish seafarers would be rescued.

The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Melih Ulueren, recently played host to the NIMASA boss in Abuja to discuss issues relating to the kidnap of the 15 Turkish seafarers onboard a Liberian-flagged vessel outside Nigerian waters.

The ambassador passionately appealed to the Nigerian government and NIMASA to ensure the speedy rescue of the seafarers recently kidnapped onboard MV MOZART in the Gulf of Guinea and reunite them with their families in Turkey.

Ulueren also inquired if there was any support NIMASA would need from the Turkish government and what NIMASA was doing about the spate of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.

Jamoh, in his response, said that the Nigerian government was doing everything possible to ensure that the pirates were identified and their nationalities revealed since the incident happened outside Nigerian territorial waters.

Jamoh said the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had approved the deployment of two special mission vessels under the deep blue project to immediately curb the area the kidnap took place for a possible rescue of the victims.

Jamoh highlighted various initiatives being rolled out by NIMASA to curtail piracy and other maritime-related crime. He stated the successes achieved with the passage of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act, 2019 (SPOMO Act), which has been used in successfully prosecuting several maritime offenders.

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