Pirates take Turkish sailors hostage off Nigeria coast

Armed pirates attacked a Turkish cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria and took 10 sailors hostage, the shipping firm said on Tuesday. 

Shipping company Kadioglu Denizcilik said another eight sailors were safe aboard the Turkish-flagged Paksoy-1 ship.

Kadioglu said its ship was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea as it sailed from Cameroon to Ivory Coast without freight.

"According to initial information, there were no injuries or casualties. Efforts for all our personnel to be safely released continue," the company said in a statement.

Speaking to reporters, the spokesman for Turkey's governing AK Party said the government was closely following the matter and called for the sailors to be returned safely. 

He declined to give further details.

TRT World's Iolo ap Dafydd has more details.

'The most dangerous area'

Kidnappings and piracy for ransom in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea are common.

Last week, the International Maritime Bureau described the Gulf of Guinea as the most dangerous area in the world for piracy. 

It said 73 percent of all sea kidnappings and 92 percent of hostage-takings took place in the Gulf of Guinea.