10 sailors kidnapped as Turkish ship is attacked off the coast of Nigeria

Our reporter

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has said that some sailors have been kidnapped following attack on the country’s ship off the Nigerian coast.

The Ministry said however that all efforts are being made to set the captives free from the kidnappers.

According to a report by Sahara reporters, the sailors were reportedly kidnapped on Saturday evening.

“The ship which the pirates left has been taken to Tema Harbor (Ghana), and the necessary initiatives are taken with Nigerian and Ghanaian authorities for the release of our abducted citizens.

“As a result of the attack, some of the crew members, who are Turkish nationals, have been abducted by the pirates,” the ministry said.

According to reports, a Turkish-flagged ship, Paksoy-1, going to Abidjan, Ivory Coast from the Port of Douala in Cameroon was attacked by pirates on Saturday evening.

The ship, operated by Kadioglu Maritime, had 18 crew on board at the time it was attacked by pirates suspected to be militants in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.

The Turkish government said it was working with necessary authorities and security agencies to secure the release of the kidnapped.

Turkey’s Ambassador to Ghana, Ozlem Ulueren, was quoted in the report to have told Turkish news agency, Anadolu, that the vessel had reached Ghana’s Tema Harbour with eight crew members on Monday.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AK Party, Omer Celik, said the country’s foreign ministry and intelligence services were “intensely working” on the issue.

According to NTV, the gunmen on speed boats attacked the cargo and abducted the sailors and have not made any demand a ransom.

However, NTV reported that the other crew members of the ship were rescued and taken to Guinea.