Bayelsa Governor hands rescued São Tomé fishermen to embassy

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has reaffirmed his administration's commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation between Bayelsa, Nigeria, and the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.

This announcement followed the formal handover of two fishermen, Pedro Mateus and Isnaic Dafonseca, to the Chargé d’Affaires of the São Tomé Embassy, Ambassador Carlos Manuel Moreno. The fishermen were rescued by local residents in the Ekeremor local government area after drifting into Nigerian waters for approximately eight days.

Governor Diri noted that this is the second time fishermen from São Tomé and Príncipe have been rescued in Bayelsa, following a similar incident in July 2023. He attributed these occurrences to weather conditions in the Gulf of Guinea and emphasized that the geographical proximity offers opportunities for deeper maritime cooperation and economic diversification.