- They ran out of food and drink on their tenth day at sea and had to drink sea water to survive
- Brazilian federal police rescued them in the port of Vitoria
In a harrowing tale of survival and determination, four Nigerian stowaways endured a treacherous 14-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean while perched precariously on the rudder of a cargo ship before their miraculous rescue by Brazilian federal police in the port of Vitoria.
As reported by Reuters, the four men found themselves in dire straits on their tenth day at sea when they ran out of food and drink. In a desperate bid to stay alive, they resorted to drinking the sea water that crashed just meters below their perilous perch.
The incredible ordeal highlights the extreme risks some migrants are willing to take in pursuit of a better life.
Upon their rescue, the men initially expressed relief, but that soon gave way to shock when they realized they had arrived on the shores of Brazil instead of their intended destination, Europe.
Two of the men, upon their request, have been repatriated to Nigeria. However, Yeye and Roman Ebimene Friday, aged 35 and hailing from Bayelsa state, have applied for asylum in Brazil.
Both men shared heart-wrenching stories of the economic hardship, political instability, and rampant crime in their home country, Nigeria, which compelled them to embark on such a dangerous journey. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has long faced issues of violence, poverty, and kidnappings, making it a challenging place to build a secure and prosperous life.
Yeye, a Pentecostal minister from Lagos state, revealed that his peanut and palm oil farm was devastated by floods, leaving his family homeless and vulnerable. Now in Brazil, he hopes to reunite with his loved ones and build a new future.
Friday recounted that his journey to Brazil began when a fisherman friend rowed him up to the stern of the Liberian-flagged Ken Wave, docked in Lagos, where he was left by the rudder. To his astonishment, he found three other men already waiting there, anticipating the ship’s departure. Fear gripped him as he had never met his fellow stowaways and dreaded their intentions.
Throughout their voyage, the four men took extreme measures to remain undiscovered by the ship’s crew, fearing they might face a watery demise if detected.
Living in such close proximity to the vast Atlantic Ocean was fraught with peril. To prevent themselves from falling into the water, the men ingeniously rigged up a net around the rudder and tethered themselves to it with a rope. Friday recalls seeing massive fish like whales and sharks from their precarious position. Due to the confined space and engine noise, sleep was a rare and dangerous luxury. “I was very happy when we got rescued,” Friday said, expressing his relief.
Father Paolo Parise, a priest at the Sao Paulo shelter where they currently reside, acknowledged that he had come across other stowaway cases, but none as treacherous as this. He emphasized that their daring journey attests to the extraordinary lengths people will go to in pursuit of a fresh start. “People do unimaginable and deeply dangerous things,” he remarked.
Discussion about this post