Naval Officers attached to the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT have arrested seven Nigerian stowaways aboard a Merchant Vessel, MV CHESAPEAKE, along Lagos channel.
The ship and her crew were heading back to Europe after discharging her cargo in Lagos when they were sighted by the naval men who were on patrol of the area.
The suspects were said to have boarded the vessel through the rudder compartment of the ship with the intention of traveling to Germany. It was alleged that the crew was forced to take shelter in their cabins and the bridge of the ship and called for help when they saw the suspects.
The Commander, NNS BEECROFT, Rear Admiral Bashir Mohammed, said the Suspects were arrested on Friday, January 21, 2022 at about 1am while officers of the command were on patrol.
Mohammed said the seven stowaways were arrested onboard the ship at Tin Can Island jetty, Apapa.
“The arrested suspects revealed that they boarded the vessel through the rudder compartment of the vessel with the intention to travel to Germany. This arrest puts the figure of stowaways arrested by NNS BEECROFT in the last four months at 21.
“I want to reassure Nigerians of the Chief of Naval Staff’s commitment towards sustaining her constitutional roles which includes curbing illegalities within Nigeria’s maritime domain thereby boosting national prosperity,” he said.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.