Nigerian Navy personnel have rescued 12 men including a Ghanaian, who stowed away in a Spain bound chemical laden vessel, MV African Osprey.
The suspects, who were said to have been on board the vessel for three days, were rescued after they banged the door to their hiding place for fear of death by suffocation. Boniface Douglass (Ghanaian); Mustapha Ayinla, Bernard Amadi, Azinabor Gideon, Isaac Delight, Daniel Timothy, Justice Agburum, Anthony Oladipupo, Emma Okon, Idowu Adeyemi, Philip Israel and Holly Osatwie all Nigerians, were rescued by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT at the Lagos anchorage after the chemical vessel crew sent a signal to the navy.
They were said to have gone onboard the vessel for a contracted job for which they were paid, but rather than leaving, the suspects decided to stowaway.
Handing over the suspects to Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade said their mission was to illegally exit the country through the ship.
“Having established a prima facie case against the suspects, they are being handed over to the NIS for further investigation and possible prosecution.
“It is important you find something to do here because Nigeria is a land of plenty. You can do a lot in this country. It is not compulsory you work in a company, you can even be self employed. You went to do a job onboard and you were paid but you decided to stowaway.
“The NN reiterates its drive to make our waterways safe for legitimate businesses to thrive. However, we appeal to ship owners and all sea farers to ensure that thorough security checks are conducted onboard prior to departure from Harbour,” said Alade.
Also speaking, the Commanding Officer, NNS Beecroft, Commodore Ovenseri Uwadiae said the rescue operation was carried out based on information from the ship that suspected stowaways were onboard.
Also speaking, the Commanding Officer, NNS Beecroft, Commodore Ovenseri Uwadiae said the rescue operation was carried out based on information from the ship that suspected stowaways were onboard.
He said: “The rescue team boarded the ship and 12 stowaways were found onboard the ship. They are composed of 11 Nigerians and one Ghanaian. We carried out preliminary investigations and they confessed that they actually boarded the ship to possible destinations in Europe.
“Their intention was to seek for greener pastures abroad. Based on that confession and extant regulations that issues of this nature, we handed them over to the NIS for a follow up.
“If there is any young man that wants to travel abroad for greener pastures, he should prepare himself properly and get the requisite travel documents to whatever country of their choice because the streets of Europe are not paved with gold. The I immigration laws there are becoming harder and it is very difficult for stowaways to penetrate.”
One of the suspects, Osatwie told reporters that he hid inside one of the cabins because he wanted to join his wife in Spain.
“If there is any young man that wants to travel abroad for greener pastures, he should prepare himself properly and get the requisite travel documents to whatever country of their choice because the streets of Europe are not paved with gold. The I immigration laws there are becoming harder and it is very difficult for stowaways to penetrate.”
One of the suspects, Osatwie told reporters that he hid inside one of the cabins because he wanted to join his wife in Spain.
“I have stowed away four times to African countries but I was deported. This time around, I intended to go to Spain. I have two relations I would have joined and they would shelter me although they were not aware I was coming.
“It was easy to stowaway because I worked onboard the ship as a tally clerk. I carried only 15 Galas, garri and bags of pure water which I would eat an drink onboard,” he said.
“It was easy to stowaway because I worked onboard the ship as a tally clerk. I carried only 15 Galas, garri and bags of pure water which I would eat an drink onboard,” he said.
Another stowaway, Douglas admitted he was a Ghanaian born in Nigeria, adding that he was a casual worker onboard the vessel so it was easy to sneak in.
“We were prepared because we bought chin-chin amongst other things. We were told we will spend 10 days inside the ship before we get toSpain. I have stowed away to Brazil and some other African countries before but we were always deported by the embassy,” he said.
Assistant Controller, NIS, Lagos Marine Patrol Unit, Ode Adapoyi, while receiving the stowaways, said the extant immigration act of 1915 empowers only the immigration to determine the nationality of anyone who decides to land or take off from Nigeria.
He said: “It is unfortunate that young Nigerians at the risk of their lives seek for greener pastures but the ones the Navy rescued are fortunate because the less fortunate are thrown overboard by the captain of the vessels on the high sea.
“They should be thanking their stars for the rescue and this is a clarion call for younger ones like them who seek to go out for greener pastures. You can make it here because there are no greener pastures.
“They should be thanking their stars for the rescue and this is a clarion call for younger ones like them who seek to go out for greener pastures. You can make it here because there are no greener pastures.
“I commend the NN because this is the kind of synergy that security agencies are talking about. No single security agency can do it alone because Nigeria belongs to all of us and security is everybody’s business.
“I want to assure that as we take over these suspects, we will still profile and debrief them and we will keep you informed of any further development.”
No comments:
Post a Comment