Missing Seafarer: MWUN reopens 2-year mystery, demands justice, accountability

 

 

Maureen Aguta

 

The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has waded into the case of Destiny Yinusa Inegbedion, a seafarer who has been missing for more than two years after disappearing from an offshore platform in August 2024.

The union’s President-General, Comrade Francis Bunu Abi, said MWUN is interested in securing justice for Inegbedion and his family, while pledging that the union would pursue the matter to get to the root of his disappearance.

Bunu said the union would insist on accountability over the circumstances surrounding the seafarer’s disappearance, stressing that MWUN would continue to stand up for the welfare and rights of maritime workers.

The case highlights concerns about the vulnerability of maritime workers, particularly those who may be reluctant to join the union because of fears of losing their jobs.

Inegbedion, an indigene of Edo State, had worked in the catering section of the Agbara offshore platform associated with Sigmund Oil Field, OML 116, since 2011, serving under different catering contractors as an intercontinental chef.

The catering contractor during the incident was Prestige 50-50 Catering Services, owned by Felix Edosowa, also known as Prestige 50-50, which took over the catering contract in December 2023.

The father of two was last seen on August 5, 2024, after travelling for work from Benin to Port Harcourt on July 28, 2024, and proceeding to the offshore facility.

According to his wife, Senorita Inegbedion, her husband confirmed his arrival at the platform to her before the incident.

She told our correspondent that Inegbedion called her on August 5 to complain about tensions surrounding his work, particularly complaints about the meals he was preparing.

Senorita said her husband also told her that the camp boss, Mr Naakie Nkinee, had reportedly threatened to sack him.

She said she advised him to remain calm and avoid confrontation.

The couple regularly spoke on WhatsApp because, according to her, it was the reliable communication channel available to workers on the platform.

Senorita said she became worried when she did not hear from her husband the next day and his WhatsApp messages remained unread.

She disclosed that one of his colleagues, a baker identified as Mr Lekie Dorunbari, later contacted her via Facebook Messenger on the same Tuesday. She pointed out that the last time they had communicated on Messenger was in 2022.

She said she asked whether her husband’s phone was okay, to which the baker replied in the affirmative.

Mrs Inegbedion said she did not hear from her husband throughout Wednesday, August 7, 2024, prompting her to begin contacting his colleague and workplace. She reached out to the baker again, but there was no response.

The family was later informed on Thursday, August 8, 2024, that workers had finished their duties together on Monday, August 5, and were expected to come out for work on Tuesday morning, but Inegbedion did not come out.

When colleagues went to check his room, they found his phone and wallet, but could not find him.

No body has been recovered from the water since the incident.

According to Mrs Inegbedion, the baker colleague had asked for her husband’s phone password, saying he wanted to check whether there was any clue in the phone.

The wife said she declined to provide the password and raised the issue with the catering contractor.

She said Prestige management later visited her in Benin and assured her that the matter was being handled, while informing her that searches involving divers and a helicopter had been conducted.

The disappearance prompted the family to involve relevant authorities.

She travelled to Abuja and petitioned the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), where she said officials informed her that Sigmund Oil Field had earlier notified the commission that someone was missing but had not sent another report stating whether he had been found.

A meeting was held by NUPRC in November 2024 involving the family, representatives of Sigmund, Prestige, the camp boss and the colleague who had requested Inegbedion’s phone password.

Senorita said questions were asked about whether Inegbedion had been threatened and who had requested access to his phone, but no arrest followed the meeting.

She said the matter was later taken up through a police petition, with efforts made to track individuals connected to the case.

According to her, money was paid for the tracking exercise, but the effort did not lead to an arrest.

She said the camp boss eventually reported to the police after pressure was brought to bear on Sigmund Oil Field chairman, Chris Uba, but no arrest has been made in connection with her husband’s disappearance.

The wife also said Inegbedion’s phone remained in NUPRC custody and was returned to her in November 2025, more than a year after his disappearance.

In March 2025, she said, Sigmund management offered her a compensation cheque, but she rejected the offer, insisting that she wanted to know what happened to her husband before discussing compensation.

Senorita said Uba had earlier assured the family that, despite her husband not being a direct employee of Sigmund Oil Field but a contract worker engaged through the catering service, the matter would be investigated and brought to a logical conclusion.

She said Uba also expressed concern that, if someone went missing from the platform, the CCTV cameras should ordinarily have captured what happened.

However, according to Senorita, her husband had previously told her that some of the CCTV cameras were not functioning.

Senorita said she initially approached the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which referred her to the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria.

More than two years after Inegbedion disappeared, his family says it has still not received a definitive explanation of what happened to him.

The disappearance has also left behind a young family, with their second child only about seven weeks old when he went missing. That child is now about two years and three months old, while their first child is now four.

Senorita said the prolonged uncertainty had been particularly difficult for the family, which has continued to seek answers without knowing whether Inegbedion is alive or what happened to him.

She recently published a video drawing attention to the case, which she said went viral. According to her, the office of the Inspector-General of Police contacted her last week.

For MWUN, the case now demands renewed attention, accountability and justice for a maritime worker whose disappearance remains unresolved more than two years later.