By Wilson Adekumola
The two fishermen from Neves in SaôTomē and Principe who were reportedly lost in the Atlantic Ocean for five days, have been rescued in the Brass Council Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
The fishermen from Neves, Antonio Sabino and Osorio Pires, were said to have been rescued by a trawler fishing in the Gulf of Guinea and handed over to fishermen from Okpoama-Brass who took them ashore.
It was learnt that the duo were handed over to the Divisional Police Officer, Okpoama Division of the Nigeria Police Force, CSP Ebimiesigha Bebetu.
The Chairman of the Okpoama Kingdom Security Committee, Chief Munalayefa William-Sinte, disclosed that the highly malnourished men were clothed and fed before they were handed over to the police for necessary action.
Portuguese-speaking fishermen, who were visibly worried, according to the chairman, were demonstrating with sign language before they were handed over to the police, as they found it difficult to communicate with them due language barrier.
Speaking with newsmen, Chief Sinte said that a fisherman from Ilaje in Ondo State but resident in Okpoama has been missing for over a week, adding that his colleagues have been searching the ocean for days.
Reports revealed that in 2019, bodies of two male fishermen at an advanced stage decomposition were found in a fishing boat that drifted ashore in Okpoama from Saọ̄ Tomē and Principe.
The Bayelsa State Police Command, while confirming the incident said the Divisional Police Officer of Okpoama Division, Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, has taken custody of two fishermen who were rescued by a captain of a fishing trawler at 50 nautical miles off the Atlantic Ocean, on 2 July 2023.
The State Command’s Spokesperson, SP Asinim Butswat, in a statement, Monday said, “The two fishermen, Antonio Sabino ‘m’ 52 years and Osorio Pires ‘m’ 41 years from Neves in SaôTomē and Principe got lost in the Atlantic Ocean for five days before being rescued by a Captain of a fishing trawler.”
The Police authorities have established contact with a coast guard officer from Saô Tomē and Principe and are making concerted effort to reunite them with their families.
