Navy snabs 8 stowaways in Lagos State

Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft has arrested eight stowaways from a Tanker Ship, CHARMINAR PANAMA en route Europe from the country, in the early hours of Thursday.

The Commander NNS Beecroft Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga made this known while handing them over to the Nigeria Immigration Service Lagos seaport and Marine Command in Apapa.

Commodore Oguntuga represented by the Base Operations officer Lieutenant Commander Tunde Ali, gave the names of the stowaways as John Festus (30 years old), Kingsley James (34 years old), Egborjede Christopher (43 years old).

Others are; Lucky Iweru (46 years old), Frank Uche (33 years old), Omosheri Wilson (33 years old), Lisa Segun (37 years old) and Abu Majid (25 years old).

Receiving the stowaways the Assistant comptroller of Immigration Lagos seaport and Marine Command, Daniel Duguryil stated that the stowaways would be profiled and thereafter handed over to another sister security agency for further investigation.

Some of the Stowaways claimed they planned to leave as a result of the hardship in the nation.

In a related development, the commander NNS Beecroft said the patrol team arrested six persons, among them a female, alleged to have been impersonating the Navy, during a raid of the Ajah area of Lagos, through intelligence report on alleged fraudulent activities.

Their names were given as Sylvester Chukwuedo, Oludipe Rotimi, Emmanuel Chukwuedo, Leonard Okonye, Dominic Nwabueze and Akinola Abidemi, whom all claimed to be officials of the Merchant Sail Navy.

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.

The Commander Beecroft noted that the apprehended vehicles bearing the inscription “SAIL NAVY”, along with the suspects and recovered exhibits, have been handed over to the Anti-Violence Crime in the State Criminal Investigation Department.