Failed To Reach Transfer Agreement, Danish Navy Frees Three Suspected Nigerian Pirates

Ilustrasi perompak Nigeria. (Wikimedia Commons/Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky/USN)

JAKARTA - The Danish Navy has released three suspected Nigerian pirates who were captured by a frigate in the Gulf of Guinea last November, after failing to find a country in the region to take them, the Danish Armed Forces said on Friday.

The three, who had been detained aboard the frigate Esbern Snare, were released Thursday in a small boat with enough food and fuel to make it safely ashore.

"They had nothing to do with Denmark and the crimes they were charged with were committed away from Denmark. They don't deserve to be here, and that's why I think it's the right thing to do," Danish Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup said in a statement, citing Reuters January 7th.

Troops on the frigate, which was deployed to the Gulf of Guinea in October, killed four pirates in waters south of Nigeria in late November, in an operation to protect shipping amid rising security risks from pirates.

Meanwhile, four other suspects were taken to the frigate, but Denmark failed to reach an agreement with countries in the region to transfer them.

The fourth suspect, who was hospitalized in Ghana with injuries, could not be safely released at sea. As such, it has been brought to Denmark for trial, according to the Ministry of Justice.

He will stand trial before a judge for a preliminary hearing in a Copenhagen court on Friday. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

The release, carried out in accordance with international rules, took place near Nigeria's territorial waters south of the Niger Delta, the armed forces told Reuters.

To note, the Gulf of Guinea has been a hot spot for piracy for years. However, incidents have decreased since national authorities stepped up security efforts assisted by foreign naval vessels.