The Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya West, Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, has clarified that fishermen attacked by armed men off the coast were robbed but not taken hostage.

Her clarification follows reports that armed men attacked fishermen at sea near Senya Beraku in the Awutu Senya District of the Central Region, firing multiple warning shots, holding the victims at gunpoint, and making away with seven outboard motors, generators and other valuables.

Speaking on Joy FM's Midday News on Thursday, February 26, while awaiting the safe return of the affected fishermen, the MP explained that the incident occurred late Wednesday night at sea.

According to her, the armed men stormed the fishing boats, stole outboard motors and other equipment at gunpoint, and fled the scene, leaving the fishermen stranded offshore.

“They were robbed, but they were not taken hostage. I just want to correct that,” she stressed.

"Typically, about 20 fishermen are on a boat during night fishing expeditions. With their motors stolen and no paddles onboard, the stranded fishermen were unable to return to shore on their own. As a result, four canoes and additional boats were dispatched to tow them back safely.
One of the affected boats was successfully towed to Tema after another vessel managed to hook onto it to assist," she added.

The MP described the incident as frightening, noting that one fisherman told her he had “never seen this in his life before.”

“We’ve been here since 9:30 waiting to make sure they are brought safely to shore,” she said, adding that communication with some of the fishermen had been hampered due to poor network coverage.