Five Polish seamen abducted by pirates from a cargo ship off Nigeria’s coast in late November have been freed and are returning home soon, Poland’s Prime Minister, Beata Szydlo, said Tuesday.
Szydlo called a news conference to announce the men were safe and in the care of Polish consular authorities in Nigeria. She said they would be able to spend Christmas with their families in Poland.
“It all ended well. I’m very happy the Polish sailors are coming home to their families safe and sound, and that they’ll be able to spend the holidays with their families,” Szydlo said.
Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, standing next to Szydlo, thanked the Nigerian authorities for their help. Neither Polish official gave details of how the men were freed, or whether any ransom was demanded or paid, though the Foreign Ministry issued a statement that said the cargo ship company, EuroAfrica, “led tedious and difficult negotiations with the kidnappers.”
Last week, Warsaw announced it had made contact with the kidnappers of the captain and four other crew members to negotiate their return.
Private broadcaster TVN24 reported that the sailors would fly from Nigeria to Berlin on Tuesday and would return to Poland on Wednesday, though it didn’t reveal the source for that information.
Armed pirates opened fire on the Polish cargo ship on November 27 and then abducted the captain, three officers and a seaman from the MV Szafir cargo ship in Nigerian waters. Eleven other crew members barricaded themselves inside the ship and were left unharmed. They have since returned to Poland.
The Cyprus-flagged Szafir was travelling from Belgium to Nigeria carrying metal cranes and other cargo when the kidnapping occurred.
Nigerian security agencies were on November 28 mandated to rescue the Polish captain and four crew members abducted from a cargo ship on Friday.
The mandate was given by acting Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Haruna Jauro.
NIMASA spokeswoman, Hajia Lami Tumaka, said the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies had commenced a search for the abducted crew with a view to freeing them and bringing the perpetrators to book.
