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The Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice has sentenced two Nigerian pirates, Titus Ezenna, 44, and Michael Oputa, 38, to jail at the Monrovia Central Prison for their alleged involvement in pirate activities in the Sierra Leone-Liberia waters.
Magistrate Ben Barco of the Monrovia City Court ordered the immediate detention of the defendants upon their appearance in court on Thursday, August 10, 2023.
Prior to their incarceration, the men were arrested on July 24, 2023, on the high sea, investigated, and subsequently charged with multiple crimes including criminal conspiracy, piracy, armed robbery, and theft of property.
According to court documents, the victims, including Li Tian Guo, a Chinese national, and other crew members of the fishing vessel Shenghai-2, were attacked at sea by Oputa and Ezenna, along with others who are yet to be identified. During the attack, the victims suffered losses of both property and cash.
Chinese national Li Tian Guo recounted his ordeal, stating that on Saturday, July 22, 2023, at 10 am, while the crew members of the Shenghai-2 fishing vessel—consisting of six Chinese nationals and 17 Sierra Leoneans—were engaged in their routine fishing activities on the Sierra Leonean waters, a small speedboat carrying unknown individuals armed with weapons (pistols and rifles) approached their vessel.
The assailants opened fire, boarded the vessel, fired several rounds, held the crew at gunpoint, conducted a thorough search of both the crew members and the vessel, and subsequently made off with their belongings and cash.
The victim further described that the Liberian Coast Guard swiftly responded, apprehending two suspects, and successfully rescuing the crew. The suspects were then transported to the Liberia Coast Guard Base in Monrovia.
When I saw the headlines, I thought the pirates were facing the Sierra Leone justice system, then I clicked on the story, saw the picture of the jail and thought that is a bit clean and decent, that can’t be a Sierra Leone jail and of course it wasn’t. Then I read that the victims called for help, the Liberian Coast responded and actually caught the perpetrators. Would our officials been able to respond that fast and catch up with the pirates? Our country needs help
Sanusie for God sake we have wash our dirty linen within, this a cross boarder issues
When i saw the head line,i was curious to read and it doesn’t marge with the story.i don’t even remember when last Sierra Leone cost guard do there work at sea.then just they collect.
Na other man land glory we they talk about so ohoo.watin wuna yone cost guard na Salone they pan do? Nation just the collect bribery.
Sanusie, some of you will just use anything opportunity to bash at your country… This article is about arm robbery at sea involving Nigerian nationals.. A very serious crime… Then you accusing Sierra Leone for not having a decent prison for high class criminals like this… You didn’t even go inside the Liberia prison and assess the conditions there, but you assumed is better than our prison.. These guys in handcuffs are not standing at a prison door in this photo, they are at the door of a court..Our country need help as you already said but comparing us to be Liberia and assuming the latter is better, proved that you don’t know the two countries better…
Is guys like you who need help first before Sierra Leone… Because is attitudes like this that is bringing our country backwards.