Boat Mishap: Lagos Govt Orders Probe, Says Incident Treated As Crime

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered a probe into the accident that involved a boat sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in which lives were lost on Friday last week.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Gbenga Omotoso, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Emergency authorities, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had said a total of 15 bodies were found during a recovery operation conducted after the W-19 passenger fibre boat capsized.

“He is deeply saddened by the incident and commiserates with the families who lost their loved ones,” Omotoso said of Governor Sanwo-Olu. “The police are probing what went wrong and treating the sad incident as (a) criminal (case).

“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.”

READ ALSO: 13 More Bodies Recovered As Death Toll In Lagos Boat Mishap Rises To 15

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and others are assisting the investigators, the commissioner hinted.

He warned that anyone found to have contributed in any way to the tragedy would be made to face the law in a bid to ensure a reoccurrence of such an incident was prevented.

According to Omotoso, the rules and regulations of the waterways are clear, and they must be respected in accordance with the value that the state government places on human life.

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