By Augustine Ehikioya
The Nigerian Navy (NN) on Wednesday expressed concerned over the upsurge in cases of stowaways in Nigerian waters.
It disclosed that 75 cases have been recorded between August 2023 and April 2024.
A statement by the Director of Information, Commodore, Aiwuyor Augustine Adams-Aliu, said “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.
Giving details of the 75 stowaways, vessel by vessel, the statement said:
In August 2023, there was 5 stowaways in MSC Martha, Lagos Channel
September 2023, 8 stowaway in CHARMINAR Panama, Lagos Fairway Buoy
October 2023, there was 11 stowaways Lagos Channel
November 2023, 8 stowaways in Natal, Lagos Fairway Buoy
December 2023, there was 4 stowaways CONTAINER VESSEL TEME Lagos Channel
December 2023, 2 stowaways GRANDE GUINEA Lagos Fairway Buoy
December 2023, there was 14 stowaways MT UOG CONSTANTINE Lagos Channel
January 2024, there was 3 stowaways FRONT ALTIERS Lagos Fairway Buoy
February 2024, there was 4 stowaways MT CHIP Lagos Channel
March 2024 there was 3 stowaways MT ADVANTAGE LOVE Lagos Channel
March 2024, there was 9 stowaways MT LYSIAS VALLETTA Lagos Fairway Buoy
April 2024, there was 4 stowaways Lagos Channel
The statement added “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.”
Explaining the word stowaway, the statement said “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.”
