The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, has handed over five suspected stowaways to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) after they were discovered hiding in the rudder compartment of the merchant vessel MT CHINAFRIE HAPPINESS.

Parading the suspects at the NNS BEECROFT ground in Apapa, the Commander, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, identified the stowaways as Segun Boyewa, 31, Kingsley Chukwu, 43, Joseph Judge, 33, Moses Aletor, 24, and Abdullahi Danlami, 31.

He stated that the handover was part of ongoing collaborative efforts among security agencies to curb illegal migration, reiterating the resolve by the service to ensure that culprits do not find the Nigerian maritime domain easy to penetrate.

Giving further insight into their arrest, Adams-Aliu disclosed that the suspects were safely evacuated and conveyed to NNS BEECROFT for preliminary investigation and profiling. He added that further investigations revealed that they boarded MT CHINAFRIE HAPPINESS while the vessel was berthed alongside Tin Can Island Port, intending to travel illegally to India.

The Navy urged parents, guardians, and other authority figures within society to discourage youths from attempting to board seagoing vessels illegally.

Commodore Adams-Aliu reiterated that under his command, NNS BEECROFT will continue to actualise the mission of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, to deploy a highly motivated and professional naval force capable of safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime interests and contributing effectively to joint operations in the defence of national sovereignty and the maintenance of internal stability.
Photo and caption: Stowaways