Chinese cargo ship crew kill 2, dumps 12 Nigerian stowaways in open sea off Liberian shore
Two Nigerian stowaways are reported to have drawn in the ocean off the shores of Gbanken Beach in Grand Kru Town, Liberia. The dead victims were identified as Frank and Osas Velurobo.
Twelve others have been rescued by fishermen after they were dumped in the ocean while aboard the Ophelia Panana ship off the coast of Liberia by a Chinese cargo ship named OPHELIA PANAMA.
And following their rescue by the Liberian fishermen in the waters of Grandcess, Grand Kru county, the 12 Nigerians admitted to being stowaways who illegally boarded the Chinese vessel in an attempt to seek greener pastures in Japan.
According to them, they illegally boarded the vessel at Delta Port, Warri on September 7, 2022, with the aim of escaping to Japan in search of greener pastures.
Among those rescued were Emmanuel Beal, Mike Wilson, Precious Uwalogho, Igiebo Stephen, Soumo Yoel, and Temeta Adebiyi Adewale among others.
The group spokesperson Emmanuel Beal said they were 14 in number that embarked on the vessel from Nigeria to Japan, but due to maltreatment by the crew onboard, two of their colleagues drowned while attempting to escape.
They alleged that the Captain of the MV OPHELIA PANAMA and his crew subjected them to severe torture by spilling chemicals on them, affirming that their two colleagues met their demise after they absconded from the ship and went into the open ocean.
Speaking, the Head of the Joint Security Task Force in Grand Kru, Chris Teah, disclosed that the ship left Lagos, Nigeria about five days ago and passed through the area when the incident happened.
“The ship was less than a mile from the shore. Six Nigerians swam and came on shore. They told us that they were 14 Nigerians and they were told that they were going to Japan. They believed that the crew on the ship could be Japanese or Chinese because they look alike,” he said.
He said, “They were discovered up the deep sea by the crew. They (crew) sprayed hot water on them and two of their colleagues were killed. Six persons swam to get on shore. According to the Nigerians, they got on the ship clandestinely, but when they left Nigeria some five days ago, they went out of food. They started hitting the yacht so that the crew can get the information that people were on board the ship.”
The 12 Nigeria have been handed over to the Liberia Immigration Service for further investigation.
Under the international maritime convention, ship masters and crew are required to lock up stowaways found onboard vessels, and treat them humanely until the next port call, where they are expected to be handed over to the immigration authorities for prosecution and possible deportation to their home countries.
