Eight persons who attempted to stowaway on board a France-bound vessel have been arrested at the Takoradi Port. The culprits, five Ghanaians and three Ivorians, were said to have been apprehended while hiding between containers on MV Al-Jabel 18, a vessel from the United Arab Emirates. They are Kwesi Cudjoe, 19, Ato Williams, 28, Anthony Yeboah, 22, Francis Eshun, 20 and Isaac Mensah, 21, all Ghanaians, and Bail Michael, 16, Atakora Williams, 20 and Kabori Simon, 20, the Ivorians. The Ghanaians are currently in police custody pending investigations, while their Ivorian counterparts have been repatriated to face prosecution in their home country. The Western Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Ms Olivia Adiku, told the Daily Graphic that the ship docked at the Takoradi Port to offload some containers after a similar mission in Cote d’Ivoire and continue to France. She said it was during a routine check by the crew of the vessel to prepare the ship for departure that the stowaways were found hiding between the containers. She said among the items found on them at the time of their arrest were gari, biscuits, painkillers and water. She said it was sad that although the young men did not know the destination of the vessel, they just boarded it with the hope of disembarking somewhere in Europe. The PRO said the act of stowing away was an offence in Ghana and advised like-minded people to desist from such a practice. Source: Daily Graphic