Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered investigation into the accident that involved a boat sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in which lives were lost on Friday, July 8th.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Gbenga Omotoso disclosed the order to investigate the boat mishap.
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.
Omotoso said “He is deeply saddened by the incident and commiserates with the families who lost their loved ones, 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.”
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and others are assisting the investigators, he hinted.
He warned that anyone found to have contributed in any way to the tragedy would be made to face the law in order to prevent a reoccurrence of such an incident.
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 stated.”
