In their desperate bid to leave Nigeria, four youths jumped on a vessel whose destination they knew nothing about. They were well prepared for the journey, armed with enough provisions, they thought. Some nautical miles into the ill-fated journey, they ran out of provisions and had to give themselves up to the vessel’s crew. Joseph Jibueze reports on their adventure.
They were four Nigerians desperate to get out of Nigeria by any means. Then, they devised an ingenious means to get on board a vessel and hide in its engine compartment.
They had no idea where the vessel was headed. They only armed themselves with a mobile telephone handset which has a radio function so they could discern the country they may be in through the language spoken on the radio.
But hunger and fear of death forced them out of their hiding. They ran out of food after five days and handed themselves over to the vessel’s crew.
The captain of the vessel, M/V Maersk Bali", resisted the temptation to cast them into the sea and detoured from Morocco, on its way to Spain, back to Nigeria.
His company bore the huge cost arising from the vessel’s travelling hour, additional berthing charges and surcharges.
Yesterday, the Lagos State Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr Ayo Oredipe, paraded before The Nation the four suspects: Peres Joseph (18), Godgrace Uche (22), Peres India (17) and Ise Igbodane Pal (19).
The suspects had a quite a few things in common. Joseph, India and Pal claimed to be from Bayelsa State. Uche said he hailed from Imo Staten
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