The Nigerian Navy (NN) has expressed deep concern over the increasing incidents of stowaways in Nigerian waters.
Navy is worried that the trend is contrary to the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention).
In a statement by the Director of Information, Naval Headquarters, Abuja, Commodore Adams Aliu, stowaways pose serious security threats and are engaged in illegal and perilous activities by boarding ships without authorization.
“In response, under the strategic directive of Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of the Naval Staff, the Nigerian Navy, has deployed advanced Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) equipment to effectively locate and intercept stowaways across Nigeria’s territorial waters.
“From August 2023 to April 2024, the navy successfully apprehended a total of 75 stowaways through the coordinated efforts of Quick Response Teams (QRT) dispatched to various locations within Nigerian waters.
“The details of these apprehensions, including the vessels involved and the number of stowaways intercepted each month, are meticulously documented.” He said.