Photo Credit: Reuters/Brazilian Federal Police

In a remarkable tale of survival, a group of Nigerian stowaways endured a treacherous 14-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean by clinging to a cargo ship’s rudder, surviving on ocean water. The harrowing journey led them to Brazil, where they were eventually rescued by federal police in the port of Vitoria, near Rio de Janeiro.

The four men, who set out on June 27, faced dwindling supplies of food and drink by the 10th day of their journey. Faced with desperation, they turned to the ocean water beneath them for sustenance, a decision shaped by their dire circumstances and the call of Mother Nature.

Roman Ebimene Friday, one of the stowaways, shared his astonishment at their unexpected destination: “I thought that I was going to Europe and then all of a sudden I found myself, I am in Brazil.” Friday’s sense of disbelief was echoed by his fellow stowaway, Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, who expressed gratitude for their survival despite the immense challenges they faced.

The journey was borne out of the men’s desire to escape Nigeria due to economic challenges, political instability, and crime. Friday recounted how he, along with his companions, managed to board the Liberian-flagged Ken Wave cargo ship in Lagos. They secured themselves to a makeshift net in the ship’s rudder area, covering 3,500 miles across the Atlantic. Their survival strategy included maintaining silence to evade detection by the ship’s crew.

Upon arriving in Brazil, the stowaways were met by federal police officers who provided them with much-needed water and ensured their safety. While two of the men, Friday and Yeye, decided to seek asylum in Brazil, the other two returned to Nigeria as per their request.

The extraordinary tale serves as a testament to human resilience in the face of adversity, with these men overcoming insurmountable odds to find themselves on a new continent, far from the challenges they sought to leave behind.

Source: Fox News