Kwara boat mishap: 144 rescued as FG vows to prosecute owners

The Kwara State Police Command yesterday said 144 people have so far been rescued from the boat accident that occurred at Egbu…

The Kwara State Police Command yesterday said 144 people have so far been rescued from the boat accident that occurred at Egbu village in Patigi Local Government Area on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday when the boat that was transporting them reportedly hit a tree due to a river wave.

The ill-fated boat capsized while conveying wedding guests, including a father and his four children, from neighbouring Egboti village in Niger State.

The victims also included three wives of the chief imam of the Pada village.

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The police had confirmed 103 people dead on Tuesday night but updated the casualty figures to 106 in a statement on Wednesday.

The police spokesman in the state, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, said 144 have so far been rescued from the incident which happened in the wee hours of Tuesday.

He said the boat was reportedly conveying about 250 people from Gboti after a wedding ceremony to Ebu and Dzakan, all in Patigi LGA.

Okasanmi said, “On leaving the shore, one part of the boat by the engine side collapsed from where water penetrated the boat.

“This ultimately led to the boat capsizing. All efforts to draw the attention of the villagers hosting the wedding ceremony for assistance by the persons in the boat proved abortive, leading to the deaths of about 106 people.

“Casualties include 61 from Ebu, 38 from Dzakan, four from Kpada and three from Kogi State. 144 people have been rescued,” he added.

Okasanmi said the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, had commiserated with the bereaved families.

Tinubu mourns, orders probe  

Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the Kwara State government and relevant federal government agencies to probe the circumstances surrounding the boat accident.

The president, in a statement released by the Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, on Wednesday, promised that his administration would look into the challenges of inland water transportation in the country to ensure the matter of safety and operational standards are strictly adhered to.

“The Kwara State government and relevant federal agencies should work together to unravel the immediate and remote causes of this unfortunate accident. Immediate relief and necessary assistance should also be provided to the survivors and families of victims,” the president said.

Boat overloaded, owners to face prosecution – NIWA

Meanwhile, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), has said it will prosecute owners of the ill-fated boat for flouting navigation laws.

It said the boat as of the time of the incident was grossly overloaded and was made to sail in an unholy hour of the night.

NIWA, while consoling the victims’ families in a statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Jibril Darda’u, said the accident was clearly an unfortunate and avoidable one.

“Furthermore, for a wooden boat to have allegedly been carrying more than 200 passengers at once without using life jackets and sailing in the night was certainly gross-overloading and misconduct,” the statement added.

Kwara mulls law to punish violators  

Meanwhile, the Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, yesterday led a government delegation to Patigi to commiserate with families affected in the boat mishap.

AbdulRazaq in a statement issued on Wednesday night by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the government’s “immediate step is to deliver at least 1,000 life jackets to support safe travels on water in the area.

“In addition, the government will design and roll out some statewide standard operating procedures (SOPs) for water travels.

“This will cover issues of boat serviceability, speed limits, loading limits and wearing of life jackets by all passengers. This will be the new irreducible minimum,” he added.

He said the government would send to the parliament a proposed legislation that would impose punishments and fines for violations of the safety protocol.

“The government will also set up a body that oversees water transportation in the state,” he added.

 

By Muideen Olaniyi (Abuja), Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin) & Eugene Agha (Lagos)