The blockade of the secessionist Republic of Biafra took a dramatic, dangerous turn Tuesday when the Nigerian navy announced it had fired a shell into the empty hold of a small Panamanian freighter found in forbidden waters. The shell was fired by a Nigerian patrol boat trying to prevent goods from entering and leaving the secessionist state of Biafra. The patrol boat fired into the 2,500-ton Rigel, which is registered by the Mara Bierta Shipping Line of Panama City, after the ship ignored four warning shots across its bow. No one was hurt. By the time the final shell struck, the Rigel had cut its engines but still had not stopped. It was reported that the captain, an Italian, was not on the bridge at the time. Naval officials said they fired at the Rigel because they found it leaving the Biafran port of Bonny Monday...

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