Sadden by the frequent boat accidents in Lagos State, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the State on Monday ordered a probe into the July 8, Mile 2-Ibeshe boat accident in which lives were lost.
108scoop.com reports that two passengers were confirmed dead in an Ikorodu area boat mishap while another 16 passengers onboard the ill-fated boat that capsized around the Mile 2 area were all confirmed dead.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso expressed deep sadness by the incident and commiserates with the families who lost their loved ones.
He said that the police were probing what went wrong and treating the sad incident as criminal.
According to him, the boat, which is said to be unlicensed, obviously broke the waterways rules of ”no night travel” and ”no overloading”.
”Besides, not all of the passengers wore life jackets and the boat did not take off from a government-approved jetty.
”The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and others are assisting the investigators.
”Anybody who is found to have contributed in any way to this tragedy will surely face the law, to ensure that we do not have any such incidents in future.
”The waterways rules and regulations are clear; they must be respected in accordance with the greatest value that the administration places on human life.
”Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. May The Almighty strengthen them in this difficult time,” he said.
Mrs Sarat Braimah, Lagos Area Manager, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), confirmed the Mile 2 incident in a statement on Sallah day.
“At about 7.45 p.m., on July 8, the National Inland Waterways Authority and Lagos State Waterways Authority received a distress call of an incident on the waterways.
“A W19 passenger Fibre boat carrying 16 people capsized along the Ojo area of the state.
“The boat going from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in Ojo axis broke the waterways rules in late travelling by setting sail at 7.45 p.m.,” she said.
Braimah said that the tide of the water drifted the boat to a stationary barge which caused it to overturn.
