Jaishankar vows all possible help to Indians stranded in Nigeria

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], November 28 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday vowed to give all possible help to stranded Indians in Nigeria.
Jaishankar has written a letter to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami saying that all possible help will be given to all Indians including two people from Uttarakhand who are stranded in Nigeria, read Chief Minister’s Office statement.
“For this, the Abuja-based High Commission is in constant contact with the authorities concerned of the Government of Nigeria. The safety and welfare of Indian citizens will be ensured,” said Jaishankar.
It is noteworthy that Chief Minister Dhami had written a letter to Jaishankar requesting for assistance in the safe return of the people stranded in Nigeria.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier said that is aware of the problem of 16 Indian sailors who were stuck in Equatorial Guinea, adding that the government is making all efforts for the early resolution of this issue.
“We are aware of the consular issue in Equatorial Guinea, our understanding is that 16 Indian sailors are stuck there,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a press briefing.
“We are in touch with detained sailors and we are making all efforts for the early resolution of this issue. Right now, they appear to be in Equatorial Guinea,” he added.
The Indian mission in Equatorial Guinea said on Monday that the Indian authorities are closely working with Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria authorities for the early release of crew members held in the country.
“This Embassy and our High Commission in Abuja are closely working with authorities of Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria for the early release of crew members of MV Heroic Idun. All crew members are safe and those in the Detention Centre have been shifted to the ship,” the Indian mission in Equatorial Guinea tweeted.
“Since their detention in mid-August, this Mission has been in regular contact with the crew members over the phone. We have also had several consular access/visits to them. We are closely monitoring developments and are actively engaged for an early resolution of the issue,” it added.
Sanu Jose is the Chief Officer from MT Heroic Idun and is among the Indian sailors who were detained in Equatorial Guinea.
They have been detained since mid-August. The ship which was scheduled to pick up a shipment of oil from Nigeria was approached by an unknown and unidentified vessel claiming to be from the Nigerian navy while waiting to pick up their shipment.
Suspecting piracy, the ship moved away into international waters. It is alleged that they were detained by the Navy of Equatorial Guinea from international waters.
After being detained, the authorities in Equatorial Guinea allegedly conducted an investigation and demanded the ship pay a hefty fine to be released on September 28.
The owners of the ship paid the fine hoping to ensure the safety of the crew. Yet the crew are yet to be released. Although they have not been mistreated by the authorities in Equatorial Guinea, their continued detention has caused severe mental distress and deterioration of the physical health of the crew. (ANI)