How three men make 11-day ‘deadly’ journey from Nigeria go Spain

Spanish authorities say dem find three stowaways ontop di rudder of one ship afta e complete one 11-day voyage from Nigeria.

One foto wey di coastguard show di men dey siddon ontop di rudder for di oil tanker helm, dia feet dey less than a metre away from di water.

Dem later carry dem go hospital for di tanker destination for Gran Canaria and treat dem for moderate dehydration.

E no dey clear if dem spend di entire journey perched on di rudder.

Di Maltese-flagged Althini II arrive from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, from Nigeria capital Lagos – one joni of more than 2,700 nautical miles – according to data wey maritime tracking websites collect.

Di medical doctors see di men for di docks wia dem find dem and dem carry dem go hospital soon afta, di Spanish news agency EFE tok am.

Dis no be di first time dem go find stowaways ontop rudders, wey be large blades wey dey like fin found under ships and dem dey use am to steer di ship.

One 14 year-old boy wey also travel from Lagos to Gran Canaria for 2020 tell di paper El Pais say im spend di entire 15 day journey on di rudder of one huge fuel tanker. 

Dem later hospitalise am upon arrival, afta e survive on salt water and take turns dey sleep for hole above di rudder wit di other men im dey travel wit “We bin dey very weak. I never imagine am say e go dey dis hard.” im tok.

One migrant in critical condition as dem carry am go Las Palmas de Gran Canaria hospitals for 2020

EPA

For anoda incident di same year, dem find four men on di rudder of di Norwegian oil tanker, Champion Pula, afta im bin don travel from Lagos to Las Palmas.

Reports at di time say di men hid inside one room behind di rudder during im10 days at sea.

Di number of migrants wey dey cross on boats from west Africa to di Spanish-owned Canary Islands don increase significantly in recent years.

Di journeys dey long, hazardous and deadly.

For 2021, di UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) record 1,532 deaths on di route.