Seventy-one fishers, who were attacked by robbers at sea last Wednesday, have been rescued and returned home safely.
The robbers, who reportedly were speaking pidgin English, ordered the fishermen to hand over their outboard motors and generators, mobile phones and cash.
They got away with seven outboard motors, five generators, mobile phones, cash and fuel.
The Central Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Emmanuel Dawood Mensah, briefing the media after the rescue operation yesterday, stated that the fishermen were on seven canoes, one from Tema, two from Chorkor, both in the Greater Accra Region, and four from Senya Beraku in the Central Region.
Mr Mensah said the collaboration between the NADMO, the Navy, the Marine police, the Fisheries Commission and local fishermen groups ensured the safe return of all the crew.
He indicated that the police had taken statements from the crew, NADMO had done its assessment, and investigations were still ongoing.
Incident, safety at sea
The President of the Ghana Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association, Nana Kweigah, said they had information about the incident at around 7 p.m. last Wednesday.
He explained that the crew had set sail from Senya Beraku earlier in the day, but were attacked between Senya Beraku and Dampase in the Central Region.
Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui (arrowed), MP for Awutu Senya West, with some security personnel, leaders in the community and the rescued fishermen
He said the pirates were reported to have fired gunshots before ordering the crew members to hand over their phones, outboard motors, fuel and generators.
Nana Kweigyah indicated that when the incident was reported, the immediate challenge was how to communicate to determine the exact location of the fishers at sea for them to be rescued.
“Our greatest challenge was communication and location.
“In each of the cases, the robbers reportedly instructed one of the crew to place a call back home and report the incident before taking all the phones.
“Throughout the night, we struggled to establish contact,” he said, adding that even after reporting the incident to the Navy, the issue of location also came up.
Nana Kweigyah called for fishers to be provided with proper communication and monitoring equipment at sea to improve safety.
Support
The Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya West, Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, said that of the 71 fishermen, 47 were from Senya Beraku. She confirmed that all the men were safe and had undergone the necessary health checks.
As part of the recovery plan, she added, every member of the rescued crew had also received psycho-social support.
Members of the community observing as the rescue team and the crew arrive
Mrs Tetteh-Agbotui expressed appreciation to the Office of the President, Ministry of Defence, National Security, Ghana Navy, Ghana Army, Ghana Police, the Marine police, NADMO, Central Regional administration, Awutu Senya District Assembly and the Senya Canoe Owners Association for their collaboration, which resulted in the crucial rescue exercise.
She also commended the community for its support, particularly for the families whose loved ones were caught in the unfortunate incident.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh