Stowaway incidents on Nigeria’s waterways have dropped by 40 per cent over the past year, a development credited to improved collaboration between the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Navy.
Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, Commodore Paul Nimmyel, disclosed this on Wednesday in Lagos during a high-level simulation exercise, which marked the conclusion of a three-day regional workshop on maritime border security and counter-terrorism.
“We’ve reduced it by about 40 per cent. It used to be quite high,” Nimmyel stated, noting that the Navy’s efforts go beyond arrests. “We carry out community engagement programmes to educate citizens about safer and legal means of travelling abroad. Being a stowaway is extremely dangerous—often, they don’t even know the vessel’s destination, and the risks involved are high.”
He emphasised the Navy’s proactive role in prevention, saying those caught as stowaways are not only handed over to immigration authorities after proper documentation but are also given some form of orientation to deter repeat attempts.
Nimmyel underscored the importance of inter-agency cooperation, particularly between the Navy and the Nigerian Immigration Service, in tackling illegal migration and enhancing maritime security.
“We work with Customs, Immigration, NDLEA, and even NAFDAC. These partnerships are crucial,” the NNS boss added.
The simulation, held at NNS Beecroft, featured the dramatic interception of a vessel, MT Majesty, by the Nigerian Navy Ship, BB Katsina, in a coordinated operation with the NIS. The exercise illustrated how Nigerian forces detect and extract stowaways hidden in concealed compartments—an increasingly frequent challenge in maritime operations and also capped the Gulf of Guinea regional workshop, which drew participants from over 10 West and Central African nations.
Speaking after the simulation, Deputy Comptroller General (DCG) Muhammed Umar emphasised the broader objective of the workshop, which was organised in partnership with the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).
He said, “This isn’t just about stowaways. It is part of a larger, ongoing effort with the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism to strengthen maritime domain security and prevent criminality and terrorism at sea,” he said.
Umar highlighted the long-standing partnership between the NIS and the Navy. “Both institutions were established around the same period, and since then, we’ve worked closely across various fronts, including passenger clearance, border protection, and intelligence sharing. We operate under the principles of cooperation, collaboration, coordination, and joint operations,” he noted.
Asked about challenges, Umar pointed to resource constraints but stressed the agency’s pool of resources, patrol boats, intelligence systems, and surveillance infrastructure to ensure operational efficiency in the nation’s maritime domain.
The exercise, which underscored Nigeria’s growing leadership in maritime security, was attended by officials from South Africa, Senegal, São Tomé and PrÃncipe, Benin Republic, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and other Gulf of Guinea states.
NIS officials noted that recent stowaways apprehended were mostly West Africans masquerading as fishermen, often hiding in obscure compartments such as radar rooms or steering gear sections.
“We now see this nearly every week,” one officer stated, adding that multilingual training for officers helps in managing cases where language barriers arise.
Rather than being placed in detention immediately, intercepted stowaways are taken to designated profiling centres where their identity, motive, and origin are verified. However, when found in possession of weapons, the stowaways are treated as criminal suspects under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act.
An aide to the NIS Comptroller General, Steven Amole, described the workshop as a landmark, stating: “This is the first of its kind for West and Central Africa, and we’re proud Nigeria hosted it.”
He warned that although terrorism hasn’t yet breached the region’s maritime space, converging threats like oil theft, bunkering, and human smuggling signal a need for urgent preventive strategies.
The final day of the event included a guided tour of Apapa Seaport, featuring a stop at APM Terminals, where officials showcased key logistics enhancements. A terminal representative revealed ongoing expansion efforts toward Cameroon to ease congestion in Lagos.
As the Gulf of Guinea workshop closed, participants departed with renewed commitment to regional maritime security, buoyed by Nigeria’s leadership in countering evolving threats before they escalated.
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