Contact with Indian sailors lost, crew yet to reach Nigeria

NEW DELHI: As per indications, the sailors of the crude oil tanker detained in Equatorial Guinea have not reached Nigeria. The relatives of the sailors have received information that the ship's owners and lawyers have already arrived in Nigeria.

Relatives have not been able to contact the sailors since they were handed over to the Nigerian Navy. Their phones were likely seized last day. It has also been reported that the sailors were taken to the port of Bonny in Nigeria. After the ship's crew is brought to Nigeria, a decision will be made as to which charges should be imposed and tried.

Although the Department of External Affairs through the Indian Embassy in Nigeria is trying to bring the crew back home, there is no progress in this regard. Indian embassy officials are yet to receive permission to visit the staff. The Nigerian authorities are insisting that the employees be prosecuted.