Di Nigerian Navy don arrest and hand over to di Nigerian Immigration Service six suspected stowaways – Pipo wey sneak enta one ship wey bin dey go Brazil.
According to statement from di Nigerian Navy Ship NNS Pathfinder wey Lieutenant Commander A. N. Ajah sign, na on 19 February 2022 Navy personnel wey bin dey MV African Runner receive call from a private Maritime logistics support company vessel MV ERA S say six stowaways gain access to di ship through di propeller area of di vessel.
Na for Brazil dem discover di stowaways so di vessel return to Nigerian waters and hand over di suspected stowaways to di Navy.
Di statement say di six stowaways gain access into di ship through di propeller about a month ago as di ship set sail for January 2022.
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Official of di Nigerian Immigration Service Yahatu Yakubu wey receive di arrested stowaways say dem go charge di suspects to court afta dem investigate di mata.
How dem discover di stowaways
According to di situation report, di vessel MV ERA S comot from Nigeria on 19 January 2022 to Vitoria, Brazil but on 29 January, di deck crew hand hear some voices come report am, na so dem discover di stowaways for one of di cabins and one of dem as im bin dey vomit and shake for di floor.
Di report allege say wen di crew try to help am and bring dem out of di cabin – wey dem bin lock di windows and doors for security reasons – di oda stowaways come attack dem and injure some of di crew members.
Di stowaways allegedly tell di crew to change dia course to Europe wia dem plan to disembark, but dem try to keep dem inside di ship. Later dem discover say di sick stowaway eat soap to make am look like say im dey sick and one of dem carry knife wey im use dey threaten dem.
Dem try collect di knife from im hand, come tie im hands and feet. Dem also try to calm di oda stowaways wey also threaten to jump inside di water.
Dem hand dem over to di Nigerian Navy wen dem land back on Nigerian waters.
Two of di stowaways na from Ondo and di odas come from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Ebonyi States and dem dey between di age of 24 and 43.
Wetin di stowaways tok?
One of di suspects wey say im be footballer explain say na sake of lack of jobs and prospects for am for di kontri na im make am decide to hide inside di ship to travel out.
“Wetin I go like my kontri to do for me na to provide way for me because I be footballer and songwriter but I drop out of school since 2015 because I no get any money or support to continue my education.” Im tok.
Di odas say say na because dem no wan put hand to do bad tins na im make dem take di risk.
Oda times stowaways don hide for ships and planes
Dis no be di first time dis kain tin dey happun.
On different occasions, authorities for Nigeria and outside Nigeria don catch such pipo wey dem dey call stowaways.
For December 2021, Nigerian Navy Ship (BEECROFT) arrest five stowaways dem catch onboard MT CHEMSTRANS BALTIC vessel for Lagos anchorage. Commander NNS BEECROFT, Bashir Mohammed, for statement say dem arrest di stowaways on 30 November and hand dem over to di Nigerian Immigration Service.
Dia findings dat time as dem question dem reveal say di MT CHEMSTRANS BALTIC bin dey travel to Europe and di suspects gain illegal access to di ship, but di crew catch dem come hand dem over to NNS BEECROFT patrol team during routine Harbour patrol.
For 2013, one 13-year-old boy bin hide for di tyre compartment of aeroplane wey dey travel go Lagos from Benin City, Edo state and dem no discover am until di plane land for Lagos.
Di boy bin tink say di plane dey travel abroad but na Lagos e bin dey go. Im say na di poor situation for im family make am want to travel abroad to help im family.
For April 2021, Dutch authorities investigate di death of one man wey dem find im deadibody for di wheel arch of aeroplane wey come from Nigeria, as dem suspect say im be stowaway wey hide dia to travel.
Tok-tok pesin for di Royal Netherlands Marechaussee say di man fit don die from hypothermia due to di extreme temperatures wey di plane bin dey fly during di six hours, 45 minutes journey from Lagos to di Netherlands.
E add say “if dem survive di extremely dangerous journey dem fit try to claim asylum.”
For similar case, one 16-year-old boy from Kenya bin hide for di landing gear of a plane wey dey fly to Maastricht Aachen airport from London, for February 2021. Im survive but dem put am for hospital sake of di severe hypothermia im suffer. Dem believe say im later apply for asylum status.
According to UN Refugee Agency guidelines, “Stowaway asylum-seekers must dey protected against by-force return to dia kontri of origin as dem dey particularly vulnerable situation wey need international protection and solutions wey go last.”
