The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT patrol team said it had apprehended four individuals trying to illegally leave the country onboard Container Vessel TEMA EXPRESS enroute Dubai.
The ships’ Commander, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, told newsmen in Lagos that the Maritime Domain Awareness Facility, the Falcon Eye Alignment, played a critical role in providing information that led to their arrest.
Oguntuga identified the stowaways as Ebi Agrive, 22, Lucky Amusu, 23, Goodness Edu, 28, and Micheal Daniel, 18 years old.
“Tactical teams were dispatched to the vessel at Lagos Anchorage, sequel to receiving information from the Maritime Domain Awareness Facility. Upon arrival, the teams noticed movements inside the rudder compartment, consequently, the teams boarded the ship, located and extracted the four stowaways. The stowaways were found with a bag filled with snacks and another polybag containing sachet water,” he said.
Oguntuga said the stowaways had been handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in accordance with established protocols.
He said stowaways put themselves in life-threatening situations during long voyages at sea, especially as they remained in confined spaces for an extended duration.
“They also present a myriad of security threats to the crew with dire consequences on the image of the nation,” he said.
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