The Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft announced the arrest of 14 stowaways aboard the motor tanker UOG Constantine at Lagos Road Stead. Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, Commander of NNS Beecroft and Maritime Component Commander of Operation Awatse, revealed the development in a statement signed by the base Information Officer, Sub-Lieutenant H. A Collins, on Tuesday.
The suspects, identified as Osas Nusakare, Victor Egoma, Okechi Chika, Stephen Mmuta, Ibrahim Hassan, Ebuka Onura, Okonkwo Gift, Emmanuel Godbless, Ayefuwe Collins, Alfred Ese, Abubakar Ibrahim, Godspower Moses, Aki Opeoluwa, and Oluwatosin Sunday, were apprehended on December 15, 2023.
Commodore Oguntuga disclosed that two of the stowaways had been arrested for a similar offense a month earlier. The Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft patrol team, acting on intelligence from the Maritime Domain Awareness Facility, Falcon Eye Alignment, intercepted the stowaways. The team boarded the vessel, UOG Constantine, at Lagos Road Stead and discovered movements within the rudder compartment.
Highlighting the persistence of such illicit activities, Oguntuga emphasized the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to maritime safety. The proactive action averted life-threatening conditions for the individuals confined in the vessel’s compartment.
The arrested stowaways have been handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service in accordance with established protocols for further necessary action. The incident underscores the Nigerian Navy’s dedication to its constitutional role in creating a secure maritime environment for the nation’s economic prosperity, as reaffirmed under the leadership of Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral EI Ogalla.