11th July, 2022
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered a probe into the July 8, Mile 2-Ibeshe boat accident in which several lives were lost.
Seventeen passengers were drowned when a boat sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe, a suburb of Lagos, on Saturday capsized.
A statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the governor is deeply saddened by the incident and commiserated with the families who lost their loved ones.
“The police are probing what went wrong and treating the sad incident as criminal. 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 said.
Omotoso said anybody found to have contributed in any way to this tragedy would 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 Sanwo-Olu 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.