The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT on Wednesday in Lagos said it
had arrested an impersonator and 11 suspects for allegedly attempting to
stow away in a vessel to Europe.
The Commanding Officer NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Abraham Adaji, made the disclosure when he addressed journalists at Apapa, Lagos.
He gave the names of the suspects as Akinwunmi Jeflando, Pope Olu,
Jacob James, Samuel Jodge, Ade Samadin, Dan Gogo, James Akinbami, Paul
Oguns, Joseph Emmanuel, Stephen Cooper and Jalo Cooper.
Mr. Adaji said,“Preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested
persons boarded the vessel, CITRON, through the rudder trunk access
manhole in a bid to travel with the vessel to Europe.
“The suspects were arrested at about 12. 30 a.m. on March 11 for
illegally boarding Merchant Vessel CITRON berthed at Capital Oil Jetty,
Apapa, Lagos.
“They were detected and subsequently arrested by our patrol boat,’’ Adaji said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Adaji handed over
the suspects to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further
investigation and prosecution.
He also said that the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice-Adm. Ikot Ibas,
had zero tolerance for all maritime crimes in Nigeria’s waters.
He called on criminally-minded Nigerians and other nationals to seek
legitimate employment instead of engaging themselves in illegal
activities.
One of the stowaways, Mr. Olu, said he was not happy with his
standard of living which prompted him to attempt to enter Europe
illegally.
Another stowaway, Cooper, blamed frustration for his attempt to travel abroad through illegal means.
A representative of the NIS, Lekan Olagunju, a Chief Superintendent, received the stowaways from the Navy.
He said that investigations would continue with a view to
ascertaining the claims of their nationalities before they could be
prosecuted.
In another development, the Navy also arrested one Mohammed Abubakar,
for allegedly impersonating a Seaman Writer in the Nigerian Navy.
While being handed over to the Nigeria Police, Adaji said he was arrested in Lagos.
“The police will further conduct investigations on the suspect,’’ he said.
(NAN)
No comments:
Post a Comment