By Mary BASSEY, Senior Investigator Correspondent Lagos/
LAGOS– THE Nigerian Navy NN has decried the act of stowaway by some gullible Nigerians youths describing the act as not only criminal but could lead to death. It announced that no fewer than 75 Nigerians aboard ship on stowaway were arrested between August 2023 and April 2024.Director of Naval Information, Commodore A. Adams-Aliu in a statement said the chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral E.I Ogala strongly frowns against the act adding that all suspects were handed over to the Nigerain Immigration Service NIS for further necessary action.
Commodore Adams-Aliu added, “The Nigerian Navy (NN) is concerned by the upsurge in cases of stowaways in Nigerian waters. 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. Migration as a stowaway is illegal, dangerous and is considered a security threat to shipowners. 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.
Consequently, the NN apprehended about 75 stowaways from August 2023 to April 2024. “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 NN 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. Hence, the NN uses this opportunity to discourage Nigerian youths from embarking on such misadventures.”