Worried families of five abducted Indian sailors by pirates in Nigeria seek their rescue, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on the job

HYDERABAD: Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday asked the High Commission of India, Nigeria to take up with the Government of Nigeria at the highest level to secure the release of Indian sailors who were abducted by sea pirates in Nigeria. “I have seen news reports about the abduction. Please take this up and send me a report,” Sushma Swaraj said in a tweet to the High Commission.
On May 1, 2019, TOI had reported about the abduction of Indian sailors from their ship MT Apecus at Bonny Outer anchorage in Nigeria. On April 19, despite the presence of the Nigerian security, pirates entered the ship and abducted six sailors out of which five are Indians.
The families of the abducted sailors have been worried since they got to know about the incident and had been trying to reach both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sushma Swaraj through their tweets. The High Commission of India in Nigeria which responded to one family informed that they were working in securing their release.
The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre on April 19 mentioned about the incident at Bonny Outer Anchorage, Nigeria. “An anchored tanker was boarded by unauthorised persons who kidnapped six crew and escaped. Remaining crew reported safe. Nigerian navy notified and investigations are ongoing,” it said.
Amit Khokhar of Gurgoan said his cousin Ankit Hooda was among the sailors abducted by pirates in Nigeria. He urged Sushma Swaraj to rescue him and the other kidnapped Indian sailors. Another person Uttam Kumar Patra also asked for early intervention in the issue as his cousin Sudeep Kumar Choudhury was in vessel MT Apecus (IMO 733810). According to Bhagyashree Das, her husband Sudeep Kumar Choudhury is a 3rd office in the Merchant Navy and was abducted on April 19 and urged for Sushma Swaraj’s intervention in getting him rescued.
Subhas, uncle of sailor Chirag Jhadav who was one of the those abducted from the ship by the pirates said Jhadav’s parents were anxious as they were also not getting any updates about him and the other Indian sailors.