A suspected Nigerian pirate, accused of masterminding the 2018 hijacking of a Dutch-flagged multi-purpose vessel, was extradited to the Netherlands by South African authorities last Thursday.
Itoruboemi Benson Lobia, 29, allegedly orchestrated the seizure and capture of the FWN Rapide and the ship’s 14 crew members after armed pirates seized the vessel in the early hours of 22 April, 2018.
The ship was destined for Port Harcourt in Nigeria at the time of the attack which also led to the kidnapping of 11 of the crew of 14.
The seafarers were held captive by rebels in Nigeria and Cameroon until their release a month later after an undisclosed ransom was paid.
The suspect briefly appeared in a Groningen court on Friday where the judge ordered him to be jailed for two weeks while the local authorities conducted their own investigation.
The Gulf of Guinea remains a hotbed for piracy, as the region accounts for 86% of crew taken hostage and almost 82% of crew kidnappings globally according to International Maritime Bureau (IMB). – Bjorn Vorster
