The rise and rise of Lagos boat mishaps

The Lagos State Waterways Authority said two toddlers, between ages four and six, died when a fishing boat conveying them alongside five others capsized while heading towards Offin, in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

The toddlers whose names were not given were among three persons who died in the ill-fated boat accident that occurred on the night of Monday, August 31, 2020.

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General Manager LASWA, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, who said stiffer actions would be taken to address the frequent boat accidents, said the fishing boat took off from Makoko area of Yaba and was heading to Offin, in Ikorodu, around 7.30pm despite repeated warning that boats should not operate beyond 6pm.

The deceased and others were on their way to the funeral of a dead family member when a huge wave forced their boat to topple over. Four of the adults swam to safety while the two toddlers and another person drowned.

A combined team of rescuers from LASWA and those from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) recovered the bodies of two victims while the body of one the toddlers was found three days after the incident.

Penultimate Monday’s incident was one out of the ten cases of boat mishaps in Lagos between July and August 2020.

In all, about 50 persons lost their lives in the different incidents while a total of 55 were rescued.

The LASWA General Manager said inquires by officials of the Authority revealed that the cause of the accidents was the rough water current usually recorded around the area in the night.

He said the fishing boats were clearly operating outside their fishing capability and therefore not equipped with necessary safety gadgets for passengers’ ferry operations carried out by them. Most of them were also not wearing lifejackets at the time of the mishap.

Acting Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, blamed most of the accidents on recklessness on the part of boat operators.

In the same vein, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, who arrested a boat operator for causing the death of 12 of his passengers, said the greedy operator switched off the engine of his boat midway into his journey from Kirikiri jetty to Badagry, causing the boat to be swept under water by heavy tide created by a barge.

Odumosu explained that the boat which took off from Kirikiri had onboard 20 persons and that an argument erupted between the operator and the passengers over a hike in the transport fair by N300.

He said investigation revealed that before the boat took off, the agreed amount was N1200 but that the operator decided to jack up the fare, adding that when the passengers refused to bulge, he switched off the engine.

However, the commercial boat operator, Elebiju Bimbo, has since been remanded in a correctional centre for causing the death of 12 persons. He was charged with murder and recklessness.

On July 3, 2020, seven persons lost their lives while 14 others were rescued when a commercial boat that took off from Ebute Ero, Lagos Island, capsized at Ipakodo area of Ikorodu.

Director-General of LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the search and rescue operations, which was done alongside Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) dive team, was conducted under extremely challenging nightfall conditions.

The LASEMA boss said that the incident happened around 8pm on July 3, after the boat departed Ebute-Ero enroute Ikorodu in violation of night time restrictions.

Two survivors of one of the boat mishaps that occurred within the Ikorodu waterways alleged that the incident was due to speeding.

A survivor, Miss Christiana Audu, 27, a teacher at Chasteville School, Ajah-Lagos, claimed to have boarded the boat by 8pm at Oke-Ira and was heading home to Ikorodu.

She said although the 22 occupants of the boat spoke out against the high speed at which it was moving through the darkness, the operator ignored them.

Audu also said the wave was high and the occupants also brought this to the notice of the operator.

“Suddenly, water started getting into the boat and before anyone could tell the operator: ‘we warned you’, the boat was already sinking,” she added.

Ibrahim Farinloye blamed the frequent boat mishaps to inexperience on the part of commercial boat operators and lack of life jackets.

He said most deaths associated with boat accidents were drownings and in 84 percent of the cases, life jackets were not worn.

He said another factor was excessive consumption of alcohol and at times illicit drug by the riders of the boats.

He said just like in motor vehicle accidents, alcohol consumption is a huge problem. He noted that alcohol consumption was the leading cause of boat accidents with heavy fatality.

“Speeding and hazardous water conditions are also part of the top five causes of death on the waters and can also be attributed to a driver not paying attention to what he’s doing,” he said.

Worried by the increasing rate of boat accident, the Lagos State Government, through LASWA, has embarked on measures to cub the frequency of occurrence.

A statement released to newsmen by LASWA General Manager, Damilola Emmanuel, stressed that operators who violate any of the safety guidelines would henceforth be arrested by the Marine Police, and their boats impounded.

He urged passengers to also desist from embarking on night journey on waterways, adding that any passenger found onboard such boats at night will be prosecuted in accordance with the relevant laws of the state.

Also, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) attributed the causes of the incessant boat mishaps on the inland waterways to the negligence and recklessness of many boat operators who fragrantly abuse the Authority’s safety guidelines.

According to the Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Malam Jibril Darda’u, the MD/CEO Dr George Moghalu has severally through different channels, warned all boat operators/captains to adhere strictly to safety guidelines or be sanctioned.

He said NIWA has embarked on aggressive sensitization programmes nationwide on safety awareness campaign to both passengers and boat operators.

He noted that the authority is collaborating with the police in ensuring that all registered boats comply with safety guidelines in all their operations, adding that some operators have been sanctioned in recent past in Lagos for violating the guidelines.

“In order to reach out to the riverine communities, NIWA has also produced TV and radio jingles on safety awareness in all its area offices nationwide and placed newspaper adverts on safety in many national dailies. The sensitization campaign with the boat operators/stakeholders will not stop in Lagos alone, we are taking it round to all our area offices nationwide and to distribute life jackets free to boat operators’ associations,” he explained.