ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Two of the four rescued Nigerian stowaways have recounted their harrowing 14-day ordeal surviving on a ship’s rudder by consuming their urine before being rescued off the coast of Brazil.
The astonishing journey unfolded over 3,500 miles (5,600 kilometers) of open ocean, from Lagos, Nigeria, to Vitória, Brazil, as reported by Daily Mail.
Fleeing economic hardship and political instability in Nigeria, the four stowaways climbed into a cramped space above the rudder of a cargo ship, hoping to reach Europe.
As their journey progressed, their food and water supplies dwindled, forcing them to resort to drinking their own urine and seawater to stay alive while the ship continued towards South America.
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One of the survivors, Thankgod Yeye, 38, shared his terrifying experience, expressing: “It was a terrible experience for me. On board, it is not easy. I was shaking, so scared. But I’m here.”
Another victim, Roman Friday, 35, mentioned that they set up a net around the rudder to prevent falling into the ocean and encountered “big fish like whales and sharks” during the journey.
After enduring the challenging conditions and engine noise, sleeping was rare and perilous.
Finally, after two weeks at sea, they were rescued by Brazilian Federal Police in the southeastern port of Vitória on 27 June, as reported by Daily Mail. The victims were later interviewed at a Sao Paolo church shelter.
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Two of the rescued stowaways have returned to Nigeria upon their request, while Yeye and Friday have sought asylum in Brazil, citing economic hardship, political instability, and crime as their reasons for leaving Nigeria.
Yeye, a Pentecostal minister from Lagos state, shared how his peanut and palm oil farm was destroyed by floods, leaving his family homeless.
Friday’s 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 found three other men waiting for the same ship’s departure.
Father Paolo Parise, a priest at the Sao Paulo shelter, expressed his shock, saying: “People do unimaginable and deeply dangerous things.”