Four people have been arrested in connection with the recent abduction of three Chinese nationals who were kidnapped from a Ghanaian-registered vessel while it was docked at Tema Port.

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The arrests were confirmed by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service during a media briefing on May 6.

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Authorities say the kidnapping was orchestrated by suspected pirates who later transported the victims to a remote area in Nigeria, where they were eventually abandoned.

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The Ghana Police, in collaboration with other security agencies, mounted an investigation that led to the arrest of the four suspects believed to have played key roles in the incident. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend additional individuals connected to the broader network behind the abduction, with both Ghanaian and Nigerian authorities involved in the operation.

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The abduction was linked to a piracy attack on March 27, involving the MENGXIN 1, a fishing vessel registered in Ghana. At around 5:53 p.m. that evening, seven armed men reportedly boarded the vessel in Ghanaian waters and fired warning shots, forcing several crew members to take shelter in a secured area.

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The assailants remained on board for about three hours, during which they seized mobile phones and brought the entire crew to the deck. After the pirates departed, the remaining crew discovered that three senior crew members—the Captain, Chief Mate, and Chief Engineer, all Chinese nationals—had been taken.

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Due to a lack of mobile connectivity at sea, the crew had to sail closer to shore before they could report the incident. The vessel has since returned safely to the Tema Fishing Harbour.

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Initial inquiries were conducted by the Marine Police and Naval Intelligence from the Eastern Naval Command. The case was also reported to neighbouring countries via the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone F, headquartered in Accra, in line with the Yaoundé Architecture for maritime security cooperation in West and Central Africa.

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