Two fishermen, Antonio Sabino and Osorio Pires from Neves in Saô Tomē and Principe, who were lost in the Atlantic Ocean for five days, have been rescued in the Brass Council Area of Bayelsa State.
The Portuguese-speaking fishermen were rescued by a fishing trawler in the Gulf of Guinea and handed over to fishermen from Okpoama-Brass who took them ashore on Sunday.
Locals in Okpoama told Daily Trust that the rescued fishermen have been handed over to the Divisional Police Officer in Okpoama, CSP Ebimiesigha Bebetu.
The chairman of the Okpoama Kingdom Security Committee, Chief Munalayefa William-Sinte, said the visibly malnourished men were clothed and fed before they were handed over to the police for necessary action.
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Confirming the incident, the police spokesman in Bayelsa State, SP Asinim Butswat, said the police authorities have established contact with a coast guard officer from Saô Tomē and Principe and are making concerted effort to reunite the rescued fishermen with their family.
He 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 July 2, 2023.
