Lagos boat mishap is criminal – Lagos Govt.

Abiodun OBA

The police in Lagos are probing what went wrong with the boat accident which occurred on July 8 in Lagos as criminal.

This is as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State ordered a probe into the sad boat accident.

The state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotosho, made this known in a statement on Monday.

Mr Omotosho said the “unlicensed” boat operated beyond the official hours, thereby breaking the ‘no night travel’ and ‘no overloading’ rules of the waterways.

“Besides, not all of the passengers wore life jackets and the boat did not take off from a government-approved jetty,” he said.

“The Lagos State Waterways Authority (@TalktoLaswa), 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 by the greatest value that the Sanwo-Olu administration places on human life.”

The commissioner expressed condolence to the family of the victims.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. May The Almighty strengthen them in this difficult time,” he said.

Recall that the boat accident occurred along Mile 2-Ibeshe and as at Sunday, seventeen bodies have been recovered after a boat accident that led to a frantic search for passengers, the inland waterways agency said.

The commuter boat set sail on Friday evening, against rules that bar night movement, the Lagos State Waterways Authority said late on Sunday. The tide carried the vessel towards a barge, causing it to capsize, it said.

Thirteen bodies were found on Sunday, adding to the four recovered the previous day. The agency had said the boat had been carrying 16 passengers, including children, and the captain.

Overcrowding and poor maintenance of boats is responsible for most accidents on Nigerian waterways.