The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, has foiled a failed illegal migration attempt, handing over three suspected Ghanaian stowaways to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) after rescuing them from a merchant vessel, MT Anatolia, in Lagos.
The suspects who were identified as Armah Peter, 26, Amisah Daniel, 22 and Amoh Michael, 25, were discovered hidden inside the rudder compartment of the vessel while it was docked at the Dangote Terminal on March 28, 2026.
Speaking to journalists, Thursday at the NNS BBeecroft headquarters in Apapa, Lagos, the Commander, Commodore Adams-Aliu, revealed that the trio had embarked on a dangerous and unauthorised journey to Europe.
He said the suspects had travelled from Ghana to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where they lived and worked as fishermen for about a year before plotting their journey. With the aid of a canoe, they reportedly gained access to the vessel’s rudder compartment prior to departure, exposing themselves to life-threatening conditions at sea.
Their plan, however, failed when, after several hours onboard, they mistakenly assumed they had reached Europe and alerted the ship’s crew, leading to their discovery and rescue.
Commodore Adams-Aliu stated that the suspects were safely evacuated and taken to NNS Beecroft for preliminary investigation and profiling before being handed over to the NIS for further action.