The Nigerian Navy ship BEECROFT patrol team said it apprehended four stowaways on Monday while trying to illegally leave the country onboard container vessel TEME EXPRESS en route to Dubai.

The ships’ commander, Kolawole Oguntuga, told journalists in Lagos that the Maritime Domain Awareness Facility, the Falcon Eye Alignment, played a critical role in providing the information that led to their arrest.

Mr Oguntuga identified the stowaways as Ebi Agrive, 22, Lucky Amusu, 23, Goodness Edu, 28, and Michael Daniel, 18.

“Tactical teams were dispatched to the vessel at Lagos Anchorage, sequel to receiving information from the Maritime Domain Awareness Facility. Upon arrival, the teams noticed movements inside the rudder compartment; consequently, the teams boarded the ship, located and extracted the four stowaways.

“The stowaways were found with a bag filled with snacks and another polybag containing sachet water,” the commander said.

Mr Oguntuga said the stowaways were handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in accordance with established protocols.

The commander further stated that stowaways put themselves in life-threatening situations during long voyages at sea, especially as they remained in confined spaces for an extended duration.

“They also presented a myriad of security threats to the crew with dire consequences on the image of the nation,” he said.

Mr Oguntuga said the navy remained committed to holistic maritime security for the country’s economic prosperity under the leadership of Chief of Naval Staff Emmanuel Ogalla.

(NAN)