WorldStage Newsonline– Nigeria Navy said it arrested about 75 stowaways trying to migrate illegally, between between August 2023 and April 2024.
Nigeria Navy in a statement on Wednesday by it Director of Information, Commodore A. Adams Aliu lamented on the upsurge in cases of stowaways in Lagos waters.
According to the him, Migration as a stowaway is illegal, dangerous and is considered a security threat to shipowners.
“For clarity, the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention) defines a stowaway as someone who is secreted on a ship, or in cargo without the consent of the shipowners or the master or any other responsible person.
In line with the strategic directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the NN deployed advanced Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) equipment to vector Quick Response Teams (QRT) to all parts of Nigeria’s territorial waters.
“During the operations, the QRT carefully extracted the stowaways who had concealed themselves inside the rudder compartment of the vessels.
“All apprehended stowaways were handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in accordance with the established protocols for further necessary action.
“The stowaways were discovered from from the following vessels MSC MARTHA CHARMINAR Panama, GWANGZHOU HIGHWAY Panama, Natal, CONTAINER VESSEL TEME, GRANDE Guinea, MT UOG Constantine, FRONT ALTIERS, MT Chip, MT ADVANTAGE Love, MT LYSIAS Valletta and MT PRINCESS Erin.”
“The Navy however, wishes to enlighten the general public on the dangers of attempting to travel as a stowaway.
“These include severe legal consequences and significant health risks such as negative effects of harsh weather conditions, lack of food and water, injuries and even death.
Meanwhile, Navy further discourage Nigerian youths from embarking on such misadventures.
