Barely two weeks the Spanish coastguard rescued two Nigerians, who stowed away in the rudder of a container ship in the Canary Islands, another four Nigerians have been rescued off Brazil’s southeast coast after spending 13 days at sea. It was revealed that they were hidden in the hull of a vessel from Nigerian port. According to federal police in Brazil, the men claimed to be Nigerians but did not carry documents that could confirm their country’s of origin. A police official informed that the four were well-fed and healthy, noting that they were hiding in a compartment on top of the vessel’s rudder, a part that is sometimes submerged. They were found by crew members of the Liberia-flagged vessel that had departed from Lagos on 27 June, it added.

According to a Superintendent of Police, Eugênio Ricas, the stowaways would be in Brazilian custody until they are returned to their country of origin in the next 25 days. It would be recalled that last week, Spanish coastguard rescued two Nigerians, who stowed away on the rudder of a container ship that arrived in the Canary Islands from Togo. The coastguard said that they were suspected to be onboard illegally for at least seven days. It was revealed that the ship left Lagos on July 2 and stopped on July 4 in Togo, according to Spanish coastguard officials. After being rescued on Monday night in the port of Las Palmas, the migrants, aged 19 and 22, were taken to a hospital. It was revealed that they were later released and were transferred back to the ship, which has to return them to their port of origin.

Las Palmas maritime police in Spain explained that the two stowaways were shown hunkered on the rudder under the hull in a video above the waterline of the MSC Marta. The container ship’s last stop before reaching the Spanish archipelago off the African coast was Lome, Togo. (New Telegraph)

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