Nigeria releases detained Indian sailors; Wife of Chief Officer of 'Heroic Idun' expresses happiness
May 30, 2023
Kochi (Kerala) [India], May 30 : Nigeria released Indian sailors, who were detained last year in Equatorial Guinea and later in Nigeria, and warned them to carefully conduct their operations and maritime-related activities within extant regulations, according to the statement released by the Nigerian Navy.
Metilda, wife of Sanu Jose, Chief Officer of the ship 'Heroic Idun' shared her happiness after Nigeria released the Indian sailors detained on November 2022 for allegedly violating the international maritime boundary line.
Metilda, on Tuesday, thanked everyone including political leaders for offering support during hard times and informed that she had a telephonic conversation with her husband on Sunday and he would be back in the country in 10-12 days.
The ship has a total of 26 crew members out of which 16 are Indians who were first detained in Equatorial Guinea in August 2022 and later moved to Nigeria in November 2022.
"It has taken around 10 months for the release of 'Heroic Idun' including 26 crew members and we are very grateful to family members, friends, including political leaders, who supported us during our hard times. He (Sanu) called me on Sunday morning and informed me that the ship has been taken and soon he will reach cape town and within 10-12 days he will be here," said Metilda, wife of Sanu Jose while talking to ANI on Tuesday.
Soon after getting detained, in a video message, the Chief Officer from MT Heroic Idun said that they "will be forcefully taken by arranging the tug boats". The sailors have urged the Indian government to "save" them.
"We have got the info that the ship will be illegally towed from here to Nigeria, the government here is arranging for tug boats, this is an act of piracy. The ship is prohibited to sail from here by the flag state. Our flag state is the Marshall Islands. We have received instructions not to move out from here. So, we will be forcefully taken from here by arranging the tug boat. So this is the information I have received," he said.
"The people from the ship, they are standing at the jetty. They will be coming any moment on board and the ship will be taken forcefully from here. We will not be able to send any more videos. This might be our last video. We don't know when the army comes on board the ship what they are going to do," he added.
The sailors carried placards that "save us" and urged the government to save them.
