Gulf of Guinea Kidnapping and Ransom Racket; 5 South Koreans , 1 Ghanaian Taken Off Fishing Vessel

Panofi Frontier vessel (Yonhap)

Five South Korean sailors abducted in waters off Benin reports The Korea Herald

Five South Korean sailors and a Ghanaian have been kidnapped by unidentified armed groups in waters off Benin in West Africa, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

 

Unknown gunmen, believed to be pirates, attacked the fishing vessel at about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, Benin time, in waters 111 kilometers south of the country’s Contonou Port.

 

A total of 30 crew members were onboard the Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier ship, but the kidnappers took off with only six people. The remaining 24 sailors, who are all Ghanaian, are returning to Ghana on the vessel.

 

As of press time, the identity and whereabouts of the kidnappers have not been identified. It was not immediately known whether the abductees remained unharmed.