Indonesian Navy Rescues Four Indonesian Nationals Abducted by Gabonese Pirates for Two Months

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Indonesian Navy (TNI) through the Defence Attaché (Athan) RI in Abuja has finally freed four Indonesian nationals who were previously kidnapped by pirates in Gabonese waters on Sunday (11 January 2026). Kapuspen TNI Brig. Gen. TNI Aulia Dwi Nasrullah said the release took place on Thursday (5 March 2026) at 22:05 local time. The four crew members arrived in Lagos, Nigeria on Friday (6 March 2026). ‘The release of the crew occurred after a lengthy negotiation process with the pirates that culminated in an agreement that bore fruit on 3 March 2026,’ Aulia said, quoted from a press release received by Kompas.com on Friday (6 March 2026). ‘For the time being, the Indonesian crew members are being placed in a safe shelter facility in Lagos to undergo medical checks to ensure their physical condition after release,’ he added. He explained that the release was the result of coordination and communication between the Indonesian Defence Attaché in Abuja, the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Abuja, the Chinese Embassy in Gabon, the IB Fish company, the Chinese Defence Attaché in Abuja, and the Leaders of the Chinese Community in Lagos. Earlier reports, the Foreign Ministry (Kemenlu) confirmed that four Indonesian nationals were kidnapped by a group of pirates in Gabonese waters, precisely in the Gulf of Guinea, on Saturday (10 January 2026). The pirate group hijacked the fishing vessel IB FISH 7 (Liang Peng Yu 828) and abducted nine crew members out of a total of 12.