Indonesian Defence Attache in Abuja Secures Release of Four Indonesian Crew Members Kidnapped by Pirates off Gabon

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), through the Indonesian Defence Attache (Defence Attache) in Abuja, Nigeria, Colonel Cke Aslam Setiawan, has secured the release of four crew members who are Indonesian citizens (WNI) and were victims of kidnapping. They were abducted by pirates in the waters off Gabon, Central Africa, on 11 January 2026.

The Head of the TNI Information Center, Brigadier General Aulia Dwi Nasrullah, explained that the four Indonesians were released by the pirates off the Gabonese coast. “The Indonesian Defence Attache in Abuja, who also retrieved them, reported that the release took place on Thursday, 5 March 2026, at 10:05 p.m. local time, and the four crew members successfully arrived in Lagos, Nigeria,” Aulia said in a press statement in Jakarta on Friday (6 March 2026).

According to him, the release followed a lengthy negotiation process with the pirates. An agreement was finally reached on 3 March 2026. Aulia stated that a total of nine crew members were released. Four of them are Indonesian citizens named Abdul Ajis, Aditia Permana, Mohamad Fardan Mubarok, and Eka Trenggana.