Outrage Over Stowaways’ Extra-judicial Killings Onboard Foreign Vessels

Maritime stakeholders have raised the alarm over the recent extra-judicial killing of stowaways by crew members of foreign vessels operating in Nigeria’s coastal waters and the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

LEADERSHIP reports that over 20 stowaways may have been killed and thrown overboard in separate incidents in the last five years.

Vessels targeted range from container ships to general cargo and car carriers. The stowaways often conceal themselves in perilous compartments, such as rudder trunks, cargo holds, or among stacked containers, devoid of oxygen, food, or water.

However, in October 2022, two of 13 stowaways died, while the remaining 11 were rescued by Liberian fishermen and later repatriated to Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

Also, four young Nigerians were rescued from the Atlantic Ocean after allegedly being tossed overboard by the crew of another vessel. The men—James John, Favour Efe, Kingsley Williams, and Kingsley Mathew were saved through a timely rescue operation coordinated by a maritime logistics company owned by a France-based Nigerian businessman, Harrison Niyi Alonge, a native of Ekiti State.

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Speaking on the development, the Ports Facility Security Officers Forum of Nigeria (PFSOFON) issued a strong condemnation of the unlawful treatment of stowaways.

The Forum’s public relations officer; Godwin Ibiang, described the act of throwing stowaways into the sea as heinous and a flagrant violation of international law and basic human rights.

He called for stiff sanctions against perpetrators and urged maritime stakeholders to respect the legal rights of stowaways, no matter the security concerns they pose.

Ibiang also called for increased government commitment to the enforcement of international conventions that protect human rights at sea.

He advocated for training ship crews in human rights compliance and stressed the need for regional and international collaboration to address the root causes of stowaway migration.

Also condemning the trend, maritime legal expert and former Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS), Dr. Chris Ebare, denounced the killings as barbaric and unlawful.

According to him, no ship operator or crew member has the authority to take the law into their own hands, regardless of provocation.

“These are not battlefields, and stowaways are not enemy combatants,” Dr. Ebare said.

He emphasised that under global maritime law—including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—the appropriate action is to report and hand over stowaways to authorities at the next port of call. Any deviation from this, he said, amounts to criminal behaviour and could attract prosecution both at the national and international levels.

“Even state officials are bound to follow due process. No private individual or vessel operator has the power to mete out punishment or take a life. Such jungle justice must be universally condemned,” Dr. Ebare insisted.