The Nigerian Navy says five stowaways were arrested on board the MT CHEMSTRANS BALTIC vessel at the Lagos anchorage.
Bashir Mohammed, commander, NNS BEECROFT, in a statement, said the stowaways were arrested on Tuesday and had been handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
Although the navy didn’t share the names of the persons arrested, Mohammed said the stowaways are between the ages of 23 and 27.
“Findings during the interrogation revealed that MT CHEMSTRANS BALTIC was Europe-bound,” the statement reads.
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“The suspects had gained illegal access to the ship but were caught by the crew and handed over to NNS BEECROFT’s patrol team during routine Harbour patrol.
“The suspects confessed that they travelled to Lagos with the intention of leaving the country for Europe in search of greener pasture before they were apprehended.”
While commending the NNS BEECROFT’s patrol team for the arrest, Mohammed advised Nigerians to always follow due process of migration to relocate, to avoid being sanctioned.
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He also expressed the commitment of the chief of naval staff towards supporting the NIS and other stakeholders in curbing crimes within the maritime environment.
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