…As police swoop on Malaysian-bound vessel

For the trio of 24-year-old Ahmed Azeez, 33-year-old Tunde Yagba and 33-year-old Ajose Kehinde, serial stowaways, who had smuggled themselves into a Malaysian-bound cargo vessel without proper documentation, it was ‘Operation Mission Botched’, when they caught in their tracks in a bid to bolt from the country.

Unknown to them, the Nigerian Police alongside Maritime Police Command had dutifully tracked their activities leading to the arrest of the four stowaways.

They were yesterday paraded at the Marine Police Command, Lagos, though the fourth suspect, 25-year-old Adewale Sunday, is being hospitalized following an ulcer he developed due to lack of food inside the ship.

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Following a tip-off from the Amphibious Ambush Squad of the Marine Command led by DSP Ben Ogungbure, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Maritime Police Command, Muhammed Katsina, began to track their movement.

The tracking paid off as the suspects were arrested and during preliminary interrogation, it was discovered that they had in the past traveled to Brazil, South Africa and Canada before they were deported.

Speaking with newsmen, AIG Katsina said the arrests were positive fallout of the Basic Marine Operation Course (BMOC) 39 its officers undertook at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Quorra.

The BMOC was a joint collaboration, which saw the police undertake trainings in counter maritime crimes like pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and was targeted at developing capacity for marine and riverine operations for personnel of the police marine wing.

“We are now dominating the maritime environment through our network of intelligence, which is very active. In this matter, it is a case of self-human trafficking and stowaway of four young Nigerians who conspired with a criminal motive to travel out of the country without proper documentation.

“The suspects, all indigenes of Snake Island Village behind Tincan Island Port, Lagos, conspired with an intent to commit felony. They stole a canoe under the cover of darkness and paddled to a Malaysian-bound cargo ship MV Maersk Casablanca.

“The vessel was berthed at Tincan Island Port and trespassed into the vessel. They dived into the water and sneaked through the propeller into the manhole, where they hid themselves in a small compartment.

“It happened that 23 hours after the ship had sailed out, my intelligence group from the Amphibious Ambush Squad (AAS) alerted me of the presence of some strange elements in the vessel. We quickly alerted our operatives at Onne Port, in collaboration with the men of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS). They were found and arrested. One of them, Adewale was bleeding profusely as a result of injury he sustained in the process, while sneaking into the vessel.”

The AIG said upon interrogation of the suspects, it was discovered that the particular route they took was an easy corridor for human trafficking, drug peddling, gun running, piracy, smuggling and hostage taking.

“From the account of the suspects, they had been a recurring phenomena in the maritime environment as most of them claimed to have previously gone through this process to South Africa, Spain, and Canada only to be deported.”

One of the suspects, Azeez, said: “I had no other option but to travel out of the country since I couldn’t make it in Nigeria. I didn’t want to steal so I decided to stowaway. Although I was in South Africa before I was deported, I decided to try France after some of my friends who had earlier stowed away to France called me to come over.

“We didn’t steal the boat. We paid a fisherman N500 to ferry us across to the vessel. We bought garri and gala to tide us over.”

The mastermind for the group, Ajose, said he had in 2009 travelled to Brazil but was later deported, adding that he called the three others so that they could try again.

Also, Yagba said: “It was Ajose that called us together. I told my family but they told me to desist. I had nothing to do so I followed my friends.”