11 NIGERIAN EUROPE BOUND STOWAWAYS RESCUED BY FISHERMEN ON HIGH SEA

Liberian Immigration Service officers, have handed over 11 Nigerian stowaways saved on the high sea to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

The 11 rescued Nigerians and one Cameroonian were aged between 24 and 40 years. They arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Thursday, October 6, 2022.

The names of the stowaways are Seyi Popoola, Precious Uwalogho, Ayetimiyi Kelvin, Stephen Junior, Emmanuel Benjamin, Balogun Gbenga, Temiotan Adewale, Igiebor Stephen, Hamza John, Alfred Ese and Ogechi Chika.

Reports have that, the stowaways sneaked into the basement of Ophelia Panama, a cargo ship at Tin Can Island, Apapa, Lagos at about 12 midnight on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 after transporting themselves on a smaller boat to the ship.

It was gathered that they entered with their personal belongings and some food items, with the hope of somehow making it to any country in Europe. The ship set out for Europe in the morning, without the slightest knowledge by the crew members.

However, on the fifth day of their trip, after the exhaustion of all the food items in their possession and they were close to starvation, they all decided to present themselves to the ship’s crew in hope of some sympathy and food for survival.

But unfortunately for them, the crew members subjected them  to severe physical and mental torture and dumped them into the waters in their threes.

It was alleged that two Nigerians died, while 11 sustained various degrees of injuries before being rescued by Liberian fishermen who handed them over to their Immigration authority.

Speaking in their ordeal, one of the victims said:

“When the ship was moving after four days our food finished and so we wanted help from the crew. Unfortunately, the crew started spraying us chemicals which were burning our skins while asking us to jump into the high seas.”