The patrol team of the Nigerian Navy ship Beecroft removed nine stowaways from the rudder compartment of the Lysias Valeta, a motor tanker destined for Spain.
The ship’s commander, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, stated on Monday that the stowaways were caught aboard the vessel on February 3 while attempting to exit the nation illegally.
Oguntuga stated that the nine had been handed by the Navy to the Nigerian Immigration Service in accordance with established norms for future action.
“The proactive detection and extraction of these individuals are commendable, preventing them from life-threatening situations during such an extended voyage within confined spaces.
“Additionally, this action averts potential security threats to the vessel and its crew as well as mitigating embarrassing situations,” he said.
According to the commander, the arrested individuals were Christian Ikechukwu, 32, of Imo; Dennis Commander, 36, of Bayelsa; Samson Army, 24, of Bayelsa; Aribo Asiko, 26, of Ondo; and Shina Folorunsho, 36, of Ekiti.
Others included Wisdom Egharevba, 26, from Edo; Okore Precious, 24, from Delta; Ndukwe Sunday, 25, from Enugu; and Agor Joseph, 57, from Delta.
