Pirates Free Nigerian Tugboat, Crew After 302 Days
By Kamal Tayo Oropo

SOMALI pirates have released a Nigerian tugboat after holding it and its crew hostage for 10 months, putting an end to the longest such hijacking off the coast of Somalia.

The hostages include Graham Egbegi (Captain), David Akpoguma, Namo Musa, Usman Ochoche Agida, Lucky Edoja, John Nkanu, Effiong Joseph, Emma Okon Timothy, Okuns Kalikio, and Bassey Etim. They are from Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Benue and Nasarawa States.

The newly bought vessel was seized on August 5 last year on her maiden trip to the country through the Indian Ocean.

In a statement to The Guardian a few hours after the boat was released, the brother of the captain of the ship, Trigo Egbedi, said that the family received the news that the MV Yenegoa Ocean had been released on Friday night with 10 crewmembers off the coast of Caluula, northeast Somalia.

A Dutch navy statement also confirmed the release, saying the tugboat was freed at 18:00 GMT and is being escorted by a Dutch frigate.

Monitoring groups reportedly said the Nigerian sailors were the longest-held crew of any of those abducted by Somali pirates since a wave of ship hijackings off the Horn of Africa began. It was not immediately known if a ransom had been paid.

The fire-fighting and supply tug was hijacked on August 4, 2008, as it was returning to Nigeria from Singapore, where it had gone for repairs.

Marines from the NATO alliance's Dutch warship, De Zeven Provincien, boarded the tug before dawn yesterday, a NATO report said.

It added that one person was in need of medical attention and had been moved to the Provincien for treatment.

"His injuries are not life threatening , Overall, the crew are in a good state of health; they have only small problems," the report said.

NATO Lieutenant Commander, Alexandre Fernandes, on board NATO's mission flagship, Corte Real, said the Provincien was providing medical and logistical support, while escorting the tug at low speed to a safe harbour in Yemen, where it was expected to dock for repairs this (Sunday) evening.

At the height of the seizure, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sarki Mukhtar, was summoned to appear before the Senate Committees on National Security and Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Interior, along with Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ojo Maduekwe, Interior, Godwin Abbe and Defence, Shettima Mustapha, to explain the circumstances sorrounding the seizure of the tugboat.

The pirates had demanded a $1 million ransom for the captives' release; failing which they threatened they would execute all of them.

The government had come under criticism for not doing much to aid the victims.

Mr. George Onokpite, the chief executive of ESL Integrated Services, which owns the ship, was also similarly criticized by families of the victims. He insisted that there was no way he could raise the ransom money as demanded by the pirates.

The Presidency reportedly set up a security committee headed by Mukhtar to co-ordinate the release of the ship. Its, however, unclear yet, the role the committee played in the eventual release.

You can imagine how useless this govt is? Nigerians are held hostage for so long without any attention. . . .anyway everyone living in Naija is being held hostage currently. . .

Thank heavens they have been released.

ifyalways:

Thank heavens they have been released.

At least without  bloodshed,  However, the good part of the story is that Somalis will never kidnap Nigerians.
Because nobody will come looking for them, so why waste  time, money and even food on keeping worthless hostages?

Nigerians kidnapped - absolute waste of time