7 stowaways, including Nigerians on board a Liberian registered oil tanker heading for England have been detained, after a suspected hijacking off the coast of Isle of Wight.

This was announced by the UK’s Ministry of Defence and several British News Media on Sunday evening.

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In response to a police request, the Defence Secretary and Home Secretary authorised Armed Forces personnel to board a ship in the English Channel to safeguard life and secure a ship that was subject to suspected hijacking. (1/2)

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) October 25, 2020

The Ministry of Defence said: “In response to a police request, the Defence Secretary and Home Secretary authorised Armed Forces personnel to board a ship in the English Channel to safeguard life and secure a ship that was subject to suspected hijacking.

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“Armed forces have gained control of the ship and seven individuals have been detained. Police investigations will now continue. Initial reports confirm the crew are safe and well.”

According to BBC, the ship, Nave Andromeda, was on its way to the Fawley oil refinery in Southampton from Lagos, Nigeria and left Nigeria on the 5th of October.

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“According to a source close to the shipping company, the crew were aware of stowaways on board, but the stowaways became violent towards the crew while it was off the Isle of Wight.

“The crew retreated to the ship’s citadel, a secure area in which they can lock themselves, making it impossible for attackers to get in.

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“This is standard procedure during a terrorist or pirate attack, but there is no suggestion the crew were doing more than protecting themselves from the stowaways. The crew contacted the coastguard, which then alerted police.

“The men, from Nigeria and Liberia, waved metal poles and threw faeces and urine after being found hiding on the Grande Tema,” BBC said.

The British Chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, Tobias Ellwood, said the stowaways taking over the ship, or forcing the ship not to be in command could have triggered a ” multi-agency alarm” which caused protocols to be put into action.

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) join the list of well-meaning organizations advocating for peace in this critical time, just as the body urged the protesting youth to sheathe their sword, and give peace a chance.

The appeal comes after weeks of protests that have rocked different parts of the country. Making this vital call is the Chairman of PFN, Cross River State chapter, Dr. Lawrence Ekwok, who made the appeal in a statement made available to The Vanguard.

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What they are saying

Dr. Lawrence said, “On behalf of the entire leadership and membership of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, (the umbrella body of all Pentecostal Churches) in Cross River State, I hereby appeal to all protesting youths in Cross River state to sheath their swords.

“I wholeheartedly feel and share in their pains that may have provoked the protests, however, have made their points loud and clear; I, therefore, appeal for restraint and call for calm and a stop to further destruction of property in the state.

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“This is especially so as the public property belongs to the people of Cross River State and not to any individual whether in government or out of government, just as it will not be fair to destroy property belonging to private persons or concerns who are contributing to the development of Cross River State.

“I am confident that our well-meaning youth will heed this call even as I pray that the Lord God Almighty will bless them and intervene speedily and restore peace to Cross River State in Jesus name, Amen!”

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Why this matter

The call is a step in the right direction, as it will help to reduce tension and avert looming religious, political, and ethnic crises that are capable of destabilizing the country. Therefore, it will be remarkable for other religious bodies, ethnic, and religious leaders to rise up to the challenge of condemning the arson and looting that have pervaded the nooks and crannies of the nation.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has further reviewed the curfew earlier imposed on the state to help contain the large scale violence following the hijacked #EndSARS protests against police brutality and extra-judicial killings. The curfew now starts at 8 pm and ends at 6 am daily.

This is coming 2 days after the Governor had eased the 24-hour curfew to start from 6 pm to 8 am daily.

This disclosure was made by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, on Sunday, October 25, 2020.

Omotosho also asked residents of the state to go about their lawful duties, noting however that public and private schools in the state remain shut till further notice due to the security situation

The Commissioner in his statement said, “The curfew in Lagos State has been reviewed. Restriction time is now 8 pm to 6 am. Lagosians are enjoined to plan their journey times as they go about their lawful businesses. Public schools remain shut till further notice.”

Nairametrics had reported the imposition of an indefinite 24-hour curfew by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, following the outbreak of widespread violence across the state leading the loss of lives and looting and destruction of public and private assets.

This was later reviewed on Saturday, with the easing of the curfew, which is now expected to start from 8 am to 6 pm.

What this means

This new review gives Lagosians an extra 4 hours to go about their daily activities.

What to expect

The Lagos State government will keep on reviewing and relaxing the curfew, as long as the security situation does not spike again.