10 Turkish Sailors Kidnapped By Armed Pirates Off The Coast Of Nigeria

A group of 10 Turkish sailors have been kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria, reportedly for ransom.  

According to reports, the Paksoy-1 was sailing from Cameroon to Ivory Coast when the pirates boarded the ship in the Gulf of Guinea. It was not carrying freight and eight sailors managed to escape.

Turkey says it is working to secure the release of those seized and the International Maritime Bureau says the Gulf of Guinea is the most dangerous sea in the world for piracy. Ömer Çelik, spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AK Party, said the ministry was following the case closely and “working on it”.

Numan Paksoy, operations manager at Kad?o?lu Maritime, said about “12 pirates with heavy guns” had attacked the boat.  Crew members hid in a safe room – the citadel – when the pirates boarded the ship, but emerged after “the assailants threatened to burn the ship and kill all of them”, he told the BBC in an emailed statement.  

The attackers then picked 10 sailors and let the other eight go, he added.