A Nigerian seafarer, Marcus Olaide Oladapo, who was declared a wanted man in 2015 by the Ghana Police Service in connection with a hijacking incident of a commercial oil tanker in the territorial waters of Ghana has been cleared by the police.
He was declared a wanted man in 2015 but was later cleared of any wrongdoing after police investigations established he was innocent and had no hand in that hijacking incident.
This came after he voluntarily reported himself to the police.
What happened?
Read also: Two Ghanaians nabbed in hijacking of Nigerian tanker
In March 2015, the police arrested two Ghanaians, a freight forwarder, and a shipping agent in connection with the hijacking incident of the Nigerian-flagged commercial oil tanker in the territorial waters of Ghana.
Marcus Olaide Oladapo was named by the police as one of three Nigerian accomplices who were then at large, and a search had been mounted for them.
Totalling 10 suspects at the time in 2015, they were said to have conspired to hijack the oil tanker and share the booty.
Marcus Olaide Oladapo voluntarily reported himself to the police to prove his innocence and was never prosecuted.
A decade after he was declared a wanted man by the police, he explains that the stigma of being labeled a wanted suspect continues to affect him in his many dealings.
Following this, he has approached the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to obtain an official clearance.
In a criminal check clearance dated November 11, 2025, issued by the CID, the police indicated that Marcus Olaide Oladapo “does not appear in the criminal records of Ghana Police Service.”
Chief Superintendent James Osei-Acheampong, Director in charge of Administration, on behalf of the Director-General of CID signed the clearance.
Following further checks by Graphic Online’s Nana Konadu Agyeman, Chief Superintendent James Osei-Acheampong, in a letter dated January 7, 2026, addressed to Graphic, confirmed that Marcus Olaide Oladapo has no criminal record with the Ghana Police Service.
“This is to certify that Oladapo Marcus Olaide, whose true representation appears in the picture above, does not appear in the criminal records of the Ghana Police Service.
“The criminal report attached to the referenced letter is genuine and was signed by a competent and authorised authority at the CID Headquarters, Accra,” the letter stated.
Background
On March 9, 2015, the Daily Graphic reported that two Ghanaians were implicated in the hijacking incident for allegedly working with eight Nigerian pirates to hijack the tanker and share the proceeds.
The news report was based on a police prosecution brief presented at the Adjebeng Magistrate Court in Accra, which listed Oladapo among 10 accused persons connected to the incident.
The case, prosecuted by Chief Inspector Patrick Hanson, indicated that police were searching for three Nigerian suspects, including Oladapo, who was said to be at large at the time.
However, in December 2025, Oladapo contacted Graphic Online to assert that he had never been arrested or prosecuted in connection with the case.
Attached below is a copy of the police clearance.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh