By Uzor Odigbo
Captain Thomas Kemewerigha, a consultant to International Labour Organization (ILO), has the high number of seafarers awaiting trial in Ikoyi and Yenegoa prisons.
He also decried the frequent arrest of their vessels and crew on the Nigeria’s territorial waters.
Besides, Kemewerigha, a former National President, Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, faulted the modus operandi of both the Nigerian Navy and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the arrest of seafarers without invitation of the ship owners.
According to him, the ship owners must be questionable and apprehended about the illegal consignment on board their vessels instead of detaining innocent seafarers that lack knowledge about the content or arrangement of the product laden on board the ship before voyage.
“Go to all the prisons, Yenegoa in Bayelsa, Ikoyi and Kirikiri in Lagos; they are filled up with seafarers over the issue of discussion and nobody is talking about them. Rather the agencies are busy arresting them.
“We are not against the arrest of illegal activities on our territorial waters but we are against the inhuman treatment meted against the seafarers who are always the end users of such crimes.
“The crew aboard the vessel are bread winners of their respective families just as the master is engaged to take directive from the ship owners or charterer on how to navigate the vessel from point A to B.”
He called on the relevant authorities to review the mode of arrest on seafarers, adding that ship owners are always excluded from matters relating to oil theft and sundry maritime crime.
“Without seafarers the global economy will shrink and the multiplier effects has to do with their immediate families.
“What we are saying is that the Nigerian government should get their act right. We are not against Navy arrest of ships but the core owners should be arrested because they know more about the contents onboard,” he argued.
According to Dailyfocusonline.com, Kemewerigha suggested to the security agencies to investigate the shipping companies, owners or charterer of vessels when issues of such illegalities arise.
