The navy in Benin Republic is now guarding a Greek-owned oil tanker hijacked by Nigerian militants who are holding five crew members hostage in Nigeria, a Nigerian agency that issues government statements and a shipping security expert said on Wednesday.
The ship is anchored off Cotonou, Benin’s commercial capital, PR Nigeria agency reported. It gave no other details and no news of the crew and hijackers.
The hijackers disembarked from the vessel on Sunday and took five hostages with them — the captain, chief engineer, third engineer, the electrician and a fitter, said Dirk Steffen, maritime security director of Denmark-based Risk Intelligence.
The ship then sailed to Cotonou, he told The Associated Press.
Earlier Nigerian officers said the vessel was hijacked on Friday by separatists threatening to blow it up with its crew unless officials release Nnamdi Kanu, the director of the banned Radio Biafra.
