PHOTO: Piracy convict Michael Oputa (right) being escorted out of the courtroom by a Liberian prison guard
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Micheal Oputa, a Nigerian national has been sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly hijajacking a Chinese fishing vessel in Liberian waters in 2023.
Criminal Court “D” Judge Mameita Jabateh-Sirleaf handed down the sentence this week, because the Nigeran man was found guilty of attcking Chinese vessel,“The Shanghai-2” and its crew.
The rare piracy incident in Liberian waters drew both local and international attention.
Defendant Oputa was arraigned in open court early September 15,2025 and pleaded guilty for the commission of the crime of Privacy, theft of property and criminal conspiracy.
According to court documents, the accused were arrested by the Liberia Coast Guard in July of 2023 after heavy exchange of gunfire at which time the Liberia coast guard overpowered the pirates and arrested two persons in connection to the alleged crime. The Liberia National Police investigated and forwarded to court and later indicted them.
After careful revision of the incident, the court released defendant Titus Ezenna because he was considered by the court as an unintentional facilitator of the crime of piracy because the record shows that he never had any prior knowledge about the intention of now convicted felons pirate Michael Oputa who hired him to go on the High Sea to sound or quantify his petroleum product that he wanted to but from Chinese vessels “The Shanghai-2”.
Prior to the start of the hearing, Defendants lawyer Cllr.Bestman D.Juah pleaded with prosecuting Anthony Cllr. Jonah A.Kerkular said, that his clients have agreed to enter into a plea bargain agreement to mitigate their punishment.
The prosecuting attorney interposed no objection and same was presented to the court for it final determination in keeping with section 16.4.4 of the criminal procedure law as amended. Base on the facts in the case, it was established that Defendant Michael Oputa was arrested with the gun that was used to armed robber the Chinese vessel The Shanghai-2
In keeping with the terms of the plea bargaining agreement Defendant Michael Oputa was sentenced to five years retroactively from the time of his incarceration at the Monrovia central prison.
However, under the Criminal Procedure Law and practices which state that before any convicted felon is sentenced. The court did order the probation department at the ministry of justice to do a pre-sentencing probation report.
But this case is an exception because the crime was committed on the High Sea in Liberia territorial waters and the Defendant is not a resident of Liberia. The court therefore took advantage of the facts and circumstances in the court file to sentence the defendant.