Comptroller MMIA Command A.A Adesokan with the team leader from The Gambia Immigration Service.
The Nigeria Immigration
Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos Command has received
nine Nigerians who attempted to stowaway to Europe through The Gambia.
The stowaways were brought back
to Nigeria onboard a flight via Lome, Togo on Tuesday, December 5, 2023.
The stowaways, within the age
range of 21 and 30, claimed they were lured into the voyage by some of their
friends who were lucky to make it to Europe on the same path.
It was gathered that the young
Nigerians attempted to travel to Europe through The Gambia Sea, but they were
spotted by the ship captain who immediately alerted the security agencies of
the neighbouring country.
In a bid to escape arrest, the
stowaways jumped into the high sea with two of them struggling to swim.
They were eventually rescued from drowning and taken to the Nigeria High Commission in The Gambia which immediately processed emergency travel documents for them to be repatriated to Nigeria, despite their reluctance to return to the country.
In an interview with
journalists, the Comptroller, NIS, MMIA Command, Mrs. Adekola Adesokan, advised
Nigerians against irregular travels to Europe, describing such as a deathtrap.
She lamented the incessant
stowaway incidents among Nigerians and admonished them against it.
According to her, such a trip
was a deathtrap waiting to happen, regretting that many Nigerians had lost
their lives through such means in the pas,.
She explained that the nine
stowaways were handed over to the MMIA command by the officials of The Gambian
immigration service.
“About nine Nigerians were sent
back by The Gambian immigration officers for attempted stowaway in the high sea
and two of them almost lost their lives in the process because when they were
discovered, they attempted to escape and jumped into the high sea.
Unfortunately for them, two of them could not swim,” she explained.
"The captain of the ship
had to get in touch with the country that is within the neighbourhood for the
rescue mission. The security officers were able to quickly rescue them, put
them in the boat and took them to a hotel where they were given food.
"But, they were very
resistant and refused to return to Nigeria. They were still demanding money
from the immigration service there before they could return to Nigeria. They
were eventually taken to the Nigeria High Commission in The Gambia, which
persuaded them and issued them emergency travel documents for them to be able
to be brought back to Nigeria through the MMIA.”
She also appealed to such irregular travellers to desist from it and follow the right channel of travel to any country of their choice.
"We need to change our
mentality. When they get there illegally, the first thing is they will begin to
hide and when they are caught, they will be deported. Even when they are not
caught, they go there to do odd jobs that they cannot be proud of doing to
their friends and family members
"They should look before
they leap. Most of the time, it may be a journey of no return. I am not saying
you can’t travel abroad, but, go there legally, read your books, apply it in
the right way, apply to travel and go and showcase Nigeria as a very intelligent
nation in the comity of nations,” she said.
In his statement, one of the
stowaways, Abdul Yakubu, alleged that he was selling noodles and dried eggs on
Lagos Island before he was cajoled to embark on the trip.
Yakubu said he paid N70,000 to
the man who introduced and boarded him on the ship.
Another returnee, Daniel
Vincent, said he thought he would have been in Europe after three days of the
trip.
Vincent said he was shocked to
realise that he had not left the shore of Africa when they were detected by the
crew members of the ship and handed over to immigration in The Gambia.
"They told us we would be
in Europe within five or six days. We didn’t carry any food or water with us
when we boarded the ship at Tin Can Port in Lagos. It was a very regrettable
experience I would not encourage even my enemies to embark upon,” he said.
A boat driver who declined to
give his name claimed he once embarked on an unsuccessful trip as a stowaway.
He said he was convinced to
embark on the journey by a friend who successfully entered Europe through an
illegal method.
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