Two teenagers are in the custody of the police for attempting to stow away to Belgium.

The two aged 15 and 16 years were reportedly found hiding in one of the compartments of the MSC Dymphia vessel when the crew went round on a routine check.

The Tema Regional Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Belinda Adwoa Sika Anim, told Joy News the two teenagers started the journey from San-Pedro in Ivory Coast and their destination was Antwerp, a town in Belgium.

“They were caught midway during the journey and handed to MSC Katyanyni, at the port of Antwerp in Belgium which was bound for the Tema Port.…they were not carrying any travelling documents,” she said.

According to her, the two teenagers who hailed from Takoradi and Cape Coast during interrogation told them they had dropped out of school and were helping their parents and others with farming and fishing for a fee.

“For now, they are in police custody after which they will be handed over to their families,” she said.

She advised young people who have plans of using unapproved means to travel outside in search of jobs.

“The youth should desist from clandestine means thinking they are smart in outwitting frontline agencies, they cannot be successful all the time,” she said. 

ACI Sika Anim said there are many such travellers who encounter a lot of problems once they set out without the proper documentation.

“There are various challenges that they may encounter in the course of their journey from where they start, midway or even when they are successful getting to their destinations, they will get there as persons without documentation. 

“Some of them die, while others go through all sorts of difficulties so I would advise Ghanaians not to embark on irregular migration,” she said.