Nigerian Navy Rescues Three Ghanaian Stowaways from Merchant Vessel Rudder Compartment and Hands Suspects to Immigration Service for Repatriation

The Nigerian Navy intercepts three Ghanaian stowaways hiding in a ship's rudder compartment and transfers them to Immigration for repatriation.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 2, 2026, 4:03 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from THISDAY

Intercepting Illegal Migration at the Lagos Terminal

In a coordinated effort to strengthen maritime security, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT has successfully rescued and processed three Ghanaian stowaways discovered aboard the merchant vessel MT ANATOLIA. The suspects were officially handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at the NNS BEECROFT parade ground in Lagos. This operation highlights the ongoing inter-agency cooperation required to police Nigeria’s vast coastline and address the persistent challenge of irregular migration within the West African sub-region.

Discovery in the Rudder Compartment

The three men were detected on Saturday, March 28, 2026, while the vessel was berthed at the Dangote Terminal in Lagos. Naval personnel found the suspects concealed within the highly dangerous and confined rudder compartment of the ship. Following their discovery, the men were promptly evacuated and taken into naval custody for profiling. Initial investigations identified the individuals as Armah Peter (26), Amisah Daniel (22), and Amoh Michael (25). Commodore Aiwuyor Augustine Adams-Aliu, Commanding Officer of NNS BEECROFT, noted that such ventures involve extreme physical risk for those attempting to bypass official maritime borders.

Tracing the Route from Abidjan to Lagos

The naval investigation revealed a sophisticated travel trajectory that began in Ghana. The suspects had reportedly moved from Ghana to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where they spent approximately one year engaged in the fishing industry. Seeking a passage to Europe, the men used a canoe to reach the MT ANATOLIA while it was still in Ivorian waters, successfully scaling the vessel to hide in the rudder area before its departure. Ironically, the suspects alerted the crew themselves after several hours at sea, mistakenly believing the vessel had already reached its European destination when it had actually only arrived at the Lagos port.