REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), through the Indonesian Defense Attache (DE) in Abuja, Nigeria, Colonel Cke Aslam Setiawan, successfully secured the release of four crew members who are Indonesian citizens (WNI) and victims of a kidnapping. They had been abducted by pirates in the waters of Gabon, Central Africa, on January 11, 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 coast of Gabon. "The Indonesian Defense Attaché in Abuja, who also picked them up, reported that the release took place on Thursday, March 5, 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 (March 6, 2026).

According to him, the release of the crew members occurred after a lengthy negotiation process with the pirates. An agreement was finally reached on March 3, 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.

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