EMMANUEL DZESSE, a Ghanaian fisherman, has been reported
dead and three other fishermen missing after a Chinese fishing vessel was
hijacked by pirates near Takoradi in the Western Region.
The deceased was said to have been stabbed severally by
the pirates when they seized the fishing boat, Lu Rong Yuan 917 , which had a
crew of 22 Ghanaians and six Chinese on board.
Identities of the missing three were given as Daniel
Oppong, Kwao Yankson and Isaac Bentsil, who allegedly dived into the high seas
in Togo, together with other fishermen, for fear of their lives when the boat
was glided to the neighbouring country.
The corpse of Emmanuel has been deposited at a mortuary
in Togo, pending autopsy and transfer to Ghana for burial.
Two pump action guns, 10 locally made explosives, two
navigation charts covering the coast of Benin and Tema, 65 live ammunitions,
two cigarettes, torchlight, lighter and a handbag which contained the
explosives were retrieved by the navy after the pirates had abandoned the boat
somewhere in Nigerian territorial waters last Tuesday.
The pirates were reported to have made away with an
unspecified amount of money, personal effects, laptop computers and mobile
phones, among other items.
The Commanding Officer of the Ghana Navy Ships, Lt.
Commander Victor Fianko, explained that the Ghana Navy last Saturday received
information about loss of signal of the fishing boat by their Chinese
counterpart in Ghana.
Ghana Navy, he said, liaised with the Eastern Naval
Command in Tema which rapidly dispatched personnel to the high seas.
According to him, the boat, which was hijacked on January
28, 2015 somewhere in Takoradi, sailed to Togo, with the crew having been taken
hostage by the pirates.
Apart from Emmanuel Dzesse, the commanding officer
disclosed that three of the Ghanaian fishermen
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