Four policemen were shot and killed on Tuesday at the Abonnema Wharf area of Port Harcourt, Nigeria by armed men who are believed to be sea pirates.
The policemen were on patrol when they were attacked by a group of masked men who opened fire killing four of them on the spot, with the fifth one managing to escape by jumping into the sea, Nigerian daily Thisday Live reports.
As informed, the police boat was approached by four pirate boats manned by 6 armed men each.
The incident caused panic among the locals who witnessed the shooting.
Investigation into the case is underway.
In 2014 there were 67 reported piracy and armed robbery incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, Oceans Beyond Piracy said in a recent report, with 60% of them occurring off Nigeria.
However, the region faces a variety of challenges related to chronic under-reporting of incidents and an absence of prosecutions, with up to 70% of piracy-related incidents in the region never being reported.
World Maritime News Staff