Business
15 Turkish sailors kidnapped off Gulf of Guinea freed in Nigeria
Turkish sailors who were kidnapped by pirates, off Nigeria’s coast have been released.
Published
2 weeks agoon
15 Turkish sailors who were kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea last month, off Nigeria’s coast have been released.
This was disclosed by a shipping company executive who added that a ransom was also discussed, according to a report by Reuters.
Levent Karsan from Istanbul-based Boden Shipping said in an interview that the Sailors were not harmed and would be returning to Turkey in a couple of days.
READ: Gulf of Guinea piracy hits record level in 2020 – IMB
“This wasn’t a political kidnapping,” Karsan said. “This kind of kidnapping happens in that region unfortunately and is completely aimed at getting ransom.”
He urged the United Nations to tackle piracy in the region.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu disclosed that a British company had handled negotiations, and added that Turkish shipping companies “must learn a lesson from this and work together to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
In case you missed it: Nairametrics reported last month that a Turkish ship was attacked, off Nigeria’s Gulf of Guinea coast, killing an Azerbaijani citizen, and kidnapping 15 sailors, with reports stating the attack, happened way offshore compared to other attacks.
READ: U.S Government hands over equipment to Nigerian Navy to combats threats in Gulf of Guinea
What you should know
- Nairametrics also reported that West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea recorded an unprecedented increase in piracy attacks in 2020, according to the International Maritime Bureau in its 2020 Annual Piracy report.
- The IMB reported that 135 crew members were kidnapped from their vessels in 2020, with the Gulf of Guinea accounting for over 95% kidnapped. A record of 130 crew members was kidnapped in 22 separate incidents.
- The FG launched the $195 million Deep Blue Project which is a NIMASA initiative aimed at the prevention of illegal activities in the maritime domain. Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi stated that all equipment needed for the Deep Blue Project will be ready by March 2021.
Business
Bandits kidnap students at Girls Secondary School in Zamfara State
Armed bandits have attacked and abducted students of a secondary school in Zamfara State.
Published
4 hours agoon
February 26, 2021
Armed bandits have kidnapped an unspecified number of students at the Girls Secondary School, Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
This was disclosed by the state media agency, NTA in a statement on Friday morning.
“Armed bandits kidnapped an unspecified number of Students at Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State,” they said.
More details shortly…
Business
Border trade: Onion marketers commence land exports to West Africa
Nigerian onion marketers have commenced documented exports to West Africa.
Published
5 hours agoon
February 26, 2021
The Onion Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (OPMAN) has inaugurated the launch of documented onion exports to West Africa through the Illela land border in Sokoto State.
This was launched by Mr Abdulrahameed Ma’aji, the Area Controller of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), for Sokoto and Zamfara states on Thursday, as he urged the onion traders to maximize the opportunity for enhanced production and trade with the continent.
He added that the Customs Service had implemented laws and guidelines to improve Nigerian trade and encourage businesses to export to Africa.
“Despite COVID-19 Pandemic, NCS provided proactive solutions to the public that will aid continued reliable and quality service delivery for sustenance of global trade,” Ma’aji said.
National President of OPMAN, Aliyu Maitasamu, stated that the union was working with sister agencies to develop a recovery plan to boost production by 20% each year until 2026.
“In line with the Federal Government’s plan to diversify the economy and create jobs, the union in conjunction with sister bodies in West and Central Africa, developed an onion recovery plan which will target an average steady growth of 20 per cent each year, from 2020 to 2026,” he said.
“Nigeria is among the 10 top onion exporting countries in the world, and with competitive advantage of production, the largest onion producing country in sub-Saharan Africa, with annual 1.4 million metric tonnes in output.
“With the present arrangement, Nigeria will continuously export onions to Niger Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, Mali, Cote D’ Ivoire, and others, with more expanding opportunities,” Maitasamu added.
In case you missed: Nairametrics reported on December 16, 2020 that President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the immediate reopening of four of Nigeria’s land borders, over a year after they were all shut.
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