4 Nigerians spent 14 days on ship rudder hoping to get to Europe. They were rescued in Brazil

Four Nigerian stowaways embarked on a treacherous journey across the vast Atlantic Ocean in the cramped space above the rudder of a cargo ship. Clinging onto the ship's rudder, four of them fled their country hoping for a brighter future in Europe. 

To their surprise, fourteen days later, four of them were rescued by the Brazilian Federal Police in the port of Vitoria.

On their tenth day at sea, they faced a harrowing reality when they ran out of food and water. With incredible resilience, they managed to survive for the coming four days by resorting to drinking sea water crashing just meters below them. This astounding tale sheds light on the extreme risks some migrants are willing to endure for the promise of a better life.

Escape and survival

• As they clung to the ship's rudder for two weeks, the stowaways faced challenges at every moment since the ship's departure on June 27 from Lagos.
• To avoid falling into the ocean below, they ingeniously rigged a fish net and tied themselves to it with a rope to stay alive.
• Amid the cramped conditions and the constant noise of the ship's engine, sleep was a rare and risky luxury, said one of them to Reuters.
• The struggle for survival exposed them to the sight of enormous sea creatures, like whales and sharks, reminding them constantly of the dangers surrounding them.
• Among the four Nigerians, Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, a 38-year-old Pentecostal minister from Lagos state, recalled the ordeal with trembling emotions. He expressed how terrifying it was onboard the ship and the fear that gripped them throughout the journey.

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Their relief at being rescued soon gave way to astonishment when they realised they had ended up on the shores of Brazil, far from their intended destination of Europe.

Are they going back now?

• Two of the stowaways, upon their request, were returned to Nigeria.
• However, Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye and Roman Ebimene Friday, a 35-year-old from Bayelsa state, chose to seek asylum in Brazil.
• Devastated by economic hardship, political instability, and rampant crime that left them with little choice but to abandon their homeland.
• Nigeria's long-standing issues of violence, poverty, and kidnappings compelled these desperate men to brave the voyage.

Father Paolo Parise, a priest at the Sao Paulo shelter where the men sought refuge, who had encountered stowaway cases before, told Reuters that this case stood out as exceptional. According to him, the journey serves as a testament to the lengths to which people are willing to go in search of a fresh start and a better future.

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As their fate now rests in the hands of Brazilian authorities, their journey stands as a powerful testament to the indomitable spirit of those seeking hope beyond their borders.