Eight stowaways inside Europe-bound ship arrested by Nigerian Navy

The Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft, Apapa Lagos, has arrested eight stowaways from a Tanker Ship, Charminar Panama which was on its way out of the country to Europe, in the early hours of Thursday.

The stowaways, all Nigerians, said to have sneaked into the vessel under the cover of darkness, were found inside the vessel’s rudder compartment with some loaves of bread, biscuits and sachets of water, within Lagos Anchorage. This is just as the Base also arrested six suspects, among them a female who had been impersonating the Navy.

While handing over the stowaways to the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS in Apapa, the Base Operation Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tunde Ali, explained that “At about 2.20 am on Wednesday, September 28, 2023, the Base patrol team received information on the presence of eight suspected stowaways onboard Charminar Panama.

“The patrol team moved to the vessel and discovered eight men in the rudder of the vessel: John Festus,30; Kingsley James, 34; Egborjede Christopher, 43; Lucky Iweru, 46; Frank Uche ,33; Omosheri Wilson, 33; Lisa Segun,37 and Abu Majid 25.
“They were subsequently disembarked and taken on board.

“ We are handing them over to the appropriate security Agency, which is the Nigeria Immigration Service, today, (yesterday) for appropriate action”.

After signing the handover notes, a representative of the NIS, Daniel Duguryil , said the stowaways would be profiled and thereafter handed over to an appropriate security agency for further investigation.

Arrests seven impostors

In a related development, the Base patrol team arrested eight persons, among them a female , alleged to have been impersonating the Navy, during a raid of the Ajah area of the state.

However, the suspects identified as Sylvester Chukwuedo , Oludipe Rotimi , Mr Emmanuel Chukwuedo , Leonard Okonye, Dominic Nwabueze and Mrs Akinola Abidemi, claimed to be officials of the Merchant Sail Navy’.

They were however clad in different uniforms of the Nigerian Navy at the time of arrest.
Their arrest according to the Commander, NNS BEECROFT , Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, was made during a raid on a premise situated at Akabueze Street, Bashorun, in the Ajah area of Lagos, following an intelligence report on alleged fraudulent activities of the impostors.

Commodore Oguntuga in a statement signed by the Base Information Officer, Sub Lieutenant Happiness Collins, said, “two Toyota Hilux vehicles were seized, along with counterfeit Nigerian Navy identification cards and other related documents.

“Notably, the apprehended vehicles bearing the inscription “SAIL NAVY”, along with the suspects and recovered exhibits, have been handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation and prosecution. “The Nigerian Navy, under the astute leadership of Vice Admiral EmmanueI Ogalla, reaffirms its commitment to thwarting all forms of illegalities and to prevent law-abiding citizens from being swindled by unpatriotic individuals.

“The Naval Base BEECROFT also remains resolute in upholding the law and ensuring the safety and security of the public, which is essential for the economic prosperity of our nation.”The Nigerian Navy urges citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly to appropriate authorities as this collective effort is crucial in safeguarding the public from potential scams and fraudulent activities”, he stated.