Brazilian Police Rescue 4 Nigerians From Cargo Ship’s Rudder In Atlantic Ocean

Federal Police of Brazil successfully rescued four Nigerian men, who were crossing the Atlantic in a cargo ship's rudder and ran out of food and drinking water.

These men were found on the 10th day of their journey out of 14 days. According to multiple reports, they survived four days by drinking seawater before Brazilian federal police rescued them in the south-eastern port of Vitória.

One of the Nigerians named Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, 38 from Lagos said it was a "terrible experience" for him. Yeye owned a peanut and palm oil farm, which got destroyed during floods this year and made his family homeless.

"It was a terrible experience for me," he said during an interview with the São Paulo church shelter, TheGuardian reported. "On board, it is not easy. I was shaking, so scared. But I'm here."

All four Nigerians revealed that they were on their way to Europe, hoping for a better life in another country as they were struggling with various difficulties in Nigeria including inflation and persistent violence.

Another 35-year-old man named Roman Ebimene Friday disclosed that this is not the first time when he tried to escape from Nigeria, revealing that he was previously arrested by Nigerian authorities.

"I pray the government of Brazil will have pity on me," Friday said, adding that he has already applied for asylum in Brazil.

According to Friday, they started this journey on June 27 with a help of a fisherman friend, who got him into the Liberian-flagged Ken Wave from Lagos. Friday shared that he was surprised to see three men were already there.

He further explained that he was scared of those three men as they were unknown to him and could have thrown him into the sea at any time. However, all four men tried not to move much otherwise the ship's crew might find them.

"Maybe if they catch you they will throw you in the water," Friday explained. "So, we taught ourselves never to make a noise."

At the place they were hiding, they had to tie themselves to a rope, so that they don't fall into the sea. He went on to share that he saw whales and sharks in the water, adding that they could barely sleep due to engine noise.

"I was very happy when we got rescued," he added. A priest at the São Paulo shelter, Father Paolo Parise said, "People do unimaginable and deeply dangerous things."

Previously, Spanish police found Nigerian migrants on a ship that arrived in the Canary Islands last year. The officials disclosed that those migrants will be deported to Nigeria.