The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has convicted three persons accused of involvement in the hijack of Equatorial Guinean flagged vessel named, MV ELOBEY VI, off the country’s coast on March 21.
Delivering judgement, Justice Mohammed Sani summarily convicted Binaebi Johnson, Daniel Lemmar and Ghane Gordon on Counts 1 and 2 ordering them to pay a fine of N20 million each under the new Antipiracy Act 2019.
The Nigerian Navy had arrested nine persons, namely, Binaebi Johnson, Daniel Lemmar, Ghane Gordon, Hassan Hakeem, Gregory Smith, Ofem Uket, John Mark, Chidi Amadi and Eze Amadi, who were suspected to be members of a kidnapping syndicate. They were said to have demanded a $2 million ransom out of which $200,000 was eventually paid. During the proceedings in the court on August 10, Binaebi Johnson, Daniel Lemmar and Ghane Gordon pleaded guilty to counts 1 and 2 and not guilty to counts 3 – 5, while the remaining 6 accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, described the conviction as a signal that Nigeria is on the right path in the war against piracy and other crimes on the nation’s waterways. Jamoh said NIMASA as an interested party will continue to work closely with other agencies of government, the international community, and other stakeholders to achieve improved security in the Gulf of Guinea.