The Nigerian Navy on Monday killed 12 suspected sea pirates in oil-rich Bayelsa State in a massive offensive to rid the area of criminals.

The pirates were killed during a rescue operation of a hijacked oil vessel, the Navy flag officer, Rear Adm. Sidi-Ali Hassan, told reporters in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The vessel was recovered along the Forcados axis of the Delta waterways in the Niger Delta region.

The recovered vessel identified as the MT Norte was carrying 17, 000 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and was hijacked by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Guinea this month.

The navy chief said six gun boats and NN vessels were deployed in the rescue operation, adding that the bodies of the pirates killed could not be recovered as their boat sank because of the damage in the course of the gun duel.

Hassan applauded the coordinated nature of the response by various participating units and commands of the Nigerian Navy in the operation.

He said the maritime patrol aircraft from the Nigerian Air Force supported the operation, keeping the hijacked vessel under constant watch.

"Four of the militants were alive and unhurt while the rest of the pirates were killed in the cross fire," he said.

Four survivors who were currently detained at the NNS Delta have made confession, which is helping the navy in its investigation.

Piracy and armed robbery in Nigerian waterways have been increasing in recent years, drawing the attention of the international community. 

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