|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Security agencies, in collaboration with the Maritime Security Associations of Nigeria (MASPAN), on Wednesday embarked on a joint sensitisation campaign across four coastal communities around the Apapa and Tin Can Port corridor, targeting the growing trend of irregular maritime migration and stowaway attempts.
Led by the Comptroller of Immigration, Lagos Seaports Command, CIS Clementina Ogudu, the team visited Sabonkorji, Itun-Agan, Igbo Elejo and Nati communities, engaging traditional rulers, youth groups and community influencers.
The outreach, themed “Comot Your Eye for Ship Propeller,” sought to dispel myths about hiding on vessels to Europe and to highlight the life-threatening risks involved. Officers from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) explained the dangers, including fatal injuries, death, arrest, imprisonment, vessel delays and economic losses for ship operators.
They also warned of the growing role of human traffickers and smugglers who exploit desperate youths with false promises of opportunities abroad.
MASPAN President, Mr. Emmanuel Maiguwa, stressed that modern shipping regulations, vessel designs and advanced port security have made stowaway attempts virtually impossible to survive, describing them as “a suicide mission young people must be educated away from.”
He urged communities to shift from relying on unskilled job slots to developing capacity through targeted training, noting that skilled youths could secure jobs across multiple industries nationwide.
Maiguwa encouraged community leaders to partner with corporate organisations operating in their areas to implement capacity-building programmes in emerging fields, not only maritime and oil-related, to widen employment prospects and reduce migration-related desperation.
Community members welcomed the engagement and pledged to intensify awareness efforts among their youths. Banners and posters were distributed to reinforce key messages, while security agencies affirmed their readiness to support future sensitisation activities.
Despite the gains, officials noted that poverty, unemployment and limited opportunities remain powerful drivers of irregular migration. They emphasised the need for sustained outreach, stronger community monitoring and deeper collaboration among the Navy, NIS, NPF, local governments and civil society to build local early-warning mechanisms capable of deterring potential stowaway attempts.
The sensitisation tour forms part of an ongoing inter-agency effort to strengthen maritime security, protect at-risk youths and tackle the socio-economic pressures fuelling irregular migration across Nigeria’s coastal communities.
