Three months after a Nigerian marine engineer mysteriously vanished aboard an international vessel, his family says they have been left with silence, contradictions, and what they now believe may be a carefully managed cover-up.
The disappearance of Ekikere Monday Sampson, a Nigerian seafarer deployed in August 2025, has sparked growing concerns about safety, accountability, and the treatment of Nigerian workers in the global maritime industry.
Sampson, who worked as a marine engineer, was deployed through Wrightlinks Logistics Services Limited to serve aboard MT SATYA, a vessel reportedly operated under DeepFrontLine for Sterling Global. He was last heard from on December 25, 2025. Barely 24 hours later, he was declared missing in deep waters.
Since then, his family says they have received no official investigative findings, no direct communication from authorities, and no access to crucial evidence, including CCTV footage from the vessel.
According to SaharaReporters’ findings, Sampson’s disappearance was first noticed in the early hours of December 26, when he failed to report for his scheduled duty between 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Attempts by crew members to reach him via intercom reportedly failed. A search of his cabin confirmed he was missing, prompting an emergency roll call and a full vessel-wide search.
No trace of him was found.
However, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance quickly raised more questions than answers.
Family members were told that fingerprints believed to be Sampson’s were discovered on a tire attached to the ship’s structure, alongside slipper marks on the rail, suggesting someone may have climbed overboard while the vessel was in motion in deep waters.
Despite these findings, no official conclusion was reached.
Even more troubling were the conflicting narratives allegedly provided by individuals linked to the company. One version claimed Sampson may have jumped overboard. Another suggested he might have escaped using a smaller commercial boat.
Neither claim has been supported with evidence.
What has intensified suspicion, however, were Sampson’s final conversations with his elder sister, Akanimo Sampson Oriowo, which painted a disturbing picture of fear, pressure, and emotional distress in the days before his disappearance.
On December 24, Sampson reportedly called her in tears, crying uncontrollably and expressing fear over debts he owed to colleagues onboard, including two naval personnel. He disclosed borrowing a total of ₦350,000, which he admitted losing to gambling, a relapse into what the family described as a previously treated addiction.
According to his sister, he was under intense pressure from creditors who were allegedly harassing him and demanding repayment. He feared the issue escalating to the ship’s captain and repeatedly expressed helplessness.
“I don’t know what to do,” he reportedly said several times.
During the call, an intercom interruption allegedly worsened his distress. When he returned to the call, he claimed that the same individuals pressuring him were the ones calling through the ship’s communication system.
His final words to his sister were chilling.
“I don’t know how this one will pass.”
The following day, December 25, he sounded calmer but admitted the situation remained unresolved. That was the last confirmed contact. He was never heard from again.
The conduct of Wrightlinks Logistics Services Limited has since come under scrutiny by the family, who accuse the recruitment firm of evasiveness, inconsistencies, and possible deception.
According to the family, the recruiter, identified as Joseph Umoren, did not initially contact Sampson’s pregnant wife directly but instead relayed the information through a younger sibling. He reportedly justified the decision as an attempt to avoid causing distress.
However, subsequent meetings deepened suspicion.
During one engagement, Umoren allegedly introduced unverified claims about Sampson’s behaviour onboard, including habitual borrowing, emotional instability, and hallucinations. The family described the meeting as an attempt to shift focus away from the key question — how a trained marine engineer disappeared from a moving vessel in deep waters without a trace.
Further concerns emerged when a lawyer engaged by the family reportedly attempted to locate the company’s office. According to the family, the address listed for Wrightlinks Logistics Services Limited allegedly turned out to be a restaurant, raising questions about the legitimacy and traceability of the recruiter.
At a formal meeting on January 5, 2026, representatives of the recruitment firm claimed they had visited the vessel and interviewed crew members. They also disclosed that CCTV footage captured Sampson around midnight, standing and looking into a camera.
The company allegedly told the family that not all exit points were covered by cameras, that an unidentified object appeared in the water in some footage, that no life jackets were missing, and that Sampson’s passport, certificates, and personal belongings were left behind in his cabin.
Despite these disclosures, the family says they were denied access to the CCTV footage, reportedly pending approval.
The company further claimed that a three-day search operation conducted after the disappearance yielded no body, a claim the family found suspicious given maritime emergency protocols.
The company also reportedly stated that its legal team had petitioned the police. However, three months later, the family says there has been no known progress, no invitation for statements, and no public update from law enforcement authorities.
According to the family, all of Sampson’s belongings recovered from the vessel were handed over to the police, yet they have not been contacted by investigators.
Repeated follow-ups have reportedly been met with vague assurances that investigations are “ongoing.”
Frustrated and emotionally exhausted, the family now believes foul play may have been involved.
“I believe he was murdered and thrown overboard,” a relative told SaharaReporters.
The emotional toll has been devastating.
Sampson’s wife, who was heavily pregnant at the time of his disappearance, has since given birth after years of fertility struggles and multiple miscarriages. Their child, now one month old, has never met his father.
During the naming ceremony, Sampson’s brother-in-law reportedly stood in as a father figure. His elderly parents remain in distress, still waiting for answers.
When contacted, Crewing Officer Joseph Umoren told SaharaReporters he was not in a position to comment and referred inquiries to his superiors. However, he did not connect the correspondent to any official capable of addressing the allegations.
Three months after a Nigerian marine engineer vanished into open waters, his family says they are still searching — not just for answers, but for accountability.
And until those answers come, the mystery of Ekikere Monday Sampson’s disappearance remains unresolved.