Court Remands 3 Expatriates, Others For Paying Kidnappers $200,000 Ransom

For allegedly aiding and abetting terrorism, kidnapping and possession of illegal firearms, a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday remanded three expatriates and six Nigerians.

The suspects were reportedly being held over the infamous MV ELOBEY VI kidnap incident in which three expatriates were taken hostage in Port Harcourt in May, this year.

Six of the suspects are being tried for aiding and abetting terrorism, kidnapping and possession of illegal firearms resulting from the incident.

They are also facing charges following allegations that they facilitated the payment of $200,000 to the ransom taking gunmen who took the expatriates.

Sources revealed that the six suspects had connived to facilitate the payment of the sum through a company to the sea pirate in order to secure the release of three expatriates workers of the company.

According to reports, the three crew members identified as Abaamrane Hamid, Chalabi Abdelaziz and Sanfos Ndong, were held hostage by pirates who attacked their Equatorial Guinea flagged vessel, MV ELOBEY VI, off Equatorial Guinea Coast.

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The other men in the vessel simply identified as Bimaebi Johnson, Daniel Lemmer, Ghane Gordon, Hassan Hakeem, Gregory Smith, Ofem Uket, John Mark, Chidi Amadi and Eze Amadi, had connived with a company, Pilgrim Africa Limited, to pay a ransom of $200,000 to secure the release of expatriate.

They were later arrested in May 2020 by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship in Port Harcourt.

Appearing before Justice Isaq Sani on Thursday, the defendants, pleaded not guilty to all seven counts preferred against them bordering on terrorism, kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami who was represented by a prosecuting counsel, Labaran Magaji, urged the court to remand them in custody pending the determination of their bail.

But the defence counsel, Abimbola Akeredolu (SAN), prayed the court to hear the bail application immediately and grant them bail in liberal and minimal terms.

Akeredolu told the court that the defendants’ only crime was that they conveyed the kidnapped crew members after they were released to their embassy in Calabar.

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After considering both arguments, Justice Isaq Sani, remanded the defendants in the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Port Harcourt, pending the ruling on the bail application on August 10, 2020.

He, however, urged officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service handling the accused persons to adhere to physical distancing protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The judge, in compliance with the directive of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court who had issued a fiat for an accelerated hearing of the matter, adjourned till August 10,11 and 12 for continuation of hearing.