The Port Authority Police Western Command recorded five stowaway cases and prosecuted 20 suspects at Lagos Magistrates’ Courts between April and August 2026. The Commissioner of Police, Toyin Agbaminoja, disclosed this at the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council quarterly meeting in Lagos. She spoke through Deputy Commissioner Salihu Jimoh. A stowaway is an unauthorised person who hides aboard a ship or inside cargo without the master’s knowledge.
Stowaways are a persistent problem at Nigerian ports. Lagos is a major hub for people attempting to reach Europe by hiding on vessels. In 2019, the Nigerian Navy intercepted a vessel carrying stowaways bound for Europe. In 2021, immigration officials arrested several stowaways at Apapa. The route remains attractive because it requires no visa, no ticket and no documentation. It is also extremely dangerous. Many stowaways die from exposure, dehydration or suffocation before the ship reaches port.
Agbaminoja said the command worked with the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigerian Navy on the cases. The command also recorded six stealing cases and one case of false pretence awaiting trial. She described the Port Authority Police as a specialised unit responsible for enforcing law, protecting lives and property, and securing port infrastructure. It also conducts marine policing to facilitate trade.
The challenges are practical. Only two divisions have patrol vehicles, and they are old. The command lacks modern gunboats for marine operations. Accommodation is inadequate. These constraints limit enforcement capacity.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos Seaports and Marine Command, cleared 1,118 arriving vessels carrying 24,378 crew members between April and August. It also cleared 969 departing vessels with 21,942 crew. The command recorded 25 stowaway suspects, including three Ghanaians, one Beninese and one Cameroonian. Comptroller Clementina Ogbudu credited joint patrols with the Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft. She identified inadequate office accommodation at Bakassi and Apapa, and the absence of a screening centre for suspects, as major challenges.
The stowaway figures are small relative to the volume of ship traffic. They represent people who took an extreme risk. Enforcement is one part of the response. Deterrence, port screening and cooperation with shipping lines are the others.
Winners: The Port Authority Police, which secured prosecutions. Immigration, which demonstrates coordination. The Nigerian Navy, which supports maritime security. Losers: The 20 prosecuted suspects, who face court. Their families. Shipping companies, which face liability for stowaways found aboard. Port users, who face delays from security screening. The command, if funding for vehicles and gunboats does not improve.
Bottom Line: Twenty prosecutions and five cases in five months is a modest number in a port system handling thousands of vessels. Stowaways will keep boarding ships as long as the economic push remains. Enforcement is necessary. It is not the whole answer.