By Obiabin Onukwugha
Ghanaian security operatives say they have rescued four fishing boats that were attacked by gunmen suspected to be sea pirates in the early hours of Thursday. The rescue was carried out during a joint operations by the security outfits.
A statement by Ghana armed forces said four fishing boats came under attack by unidentified gunmen in the seas off central Ghana in the early hours of Thursday, triggering a search-and-rescue operation by the Navy and Air Force.
The Gulf of Guinea, which borders Ghana’s southern coastline, has long been flagged by maritime security agencies as one of the world’s most piracy-prone waters.
Reuters reported that a local member of parliament involved in the rescue efforts said survivors told her, the fishing boats came under attack after a night at sea, revealing that the 71 fishermen aboard survived but their vessels were looted.
“They had gone out for their usual fishing activity heading out to sea and returning in the early hours of the morning with their catch. The robbers stole all their outboard motors and generators,” Gizella Tetteh, a lawmaker for the Awutu Senya West Constituency said.
The Ghana Armed Forces said further details would be communicated as the operation progressed, and appealed for calm.