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Four Nigerian stowaways were discovered huddled in a cramped space above a cargo ship’s rudder after enduring a harrowing 14-day journey, surviving on seawater and their own urine as they ran out of food and water. Their original hope was to reach Europe, but they unexpectedly ended up on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil, covering a distance of about 3,500 miles.
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The four men exhausted their food supplies on the 10th day of the voyage and resorted to drinking seawater and their urine to survive, all while securing themselves with a makeshift net to avoid falling into the deep waters below, where they spotted large marine creatures like whales and sharks.
After enduring their ordeal, Brazilian Federal Police finally rescued the desperate group at the port of Vitória in southeastern Brazil. Two of the stowaways chose to return to Nigeria upon their request, while Yeye and another stowaway, Roman Ebimene Friday, 35, applied for asylum in Brazil, seeking compassion from the Brazilian government, as reported by Reuters.
Friday had attempted to escape Nigeria by ship before due to economic hardships, political instability, and crime, but he was previously arrested in his home country. “It was a terrible experience for me,” said Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, 38, a Pentecostal minister from Lagos state, who was found on the ship. He expressed his fear and relief after being rescued and taken to a church shelter in São Paulo.
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Rev. Paolo Parise, a priest at the São Paulo shelter, highlighted that such desperate acts are not uncommon, as people resort to unimaginable and perilous actions in search of a better life, Reuters reported.
The challenging journey began on June 27 when a fisherman dropped Friday near the rudder of the ship, named Ken Wave, which was docked in Lagos. To his surprise, he found three other unknown men already on the rudder. Fearing detection by the ship’s crew, the four stowaways maintained silence throughout the voyage, fearing that any noise might lead to their discovery and potential expulsion into the water. Friday said, “Maybe if they catch you, they will throw you in the water.” He added, “So we taught ourselves never to make a noise.”
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Updated: 05 Aug 2023, 08:13 AM IST
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