Sad one, another boat has capsized in Lagos
resulting in the recovery of 2 bodies and
rescue of 14 others .The wooden boat capsized
on Wednesday night, in Igando area of Lagos.
The deceased were identified as those of one
Fatima, a female and Mr. Idowu Lawal.
Fourteen others were reportedly rescued by
local divers with the assistance of policemen
attached to Igando Police Division.According
to Vanguard ,the Tragedy occurred at
8p.m.,shortly after the boat, said to be
heading for Imoshe in Ogun State, took off
from Akesan.
The exact number of passengers that boarded
the boat was not ascertained. But it was
gathered that immediately it took off, it
tagged along with another wooden boat
carrying two passengers, in order to withstand
the tide. But it apparently could not.Some of
the panic-stricken passengers were said to
have jumped out of the boat before it
capsised.
Those that could swim escaped to the shore,
while others were said to have been rescued
by local fishermen. It was also gathered that
none of the passengers was wearing life
jacket.
When Vanguard arrived the scene yesterday,
policemen from Igando Division were sighted
combing the river for any victim. Police
sources hinted that the case was never
reported by the canoe operators.
Police sources said:
“They deliberately refused to report the case
to the Police because they wanted to hide the
incident from us. As we speak, families of the
deceased have not come to the station to
report either.”
Vanguard gathered from a relative of one of
the deceased, who simply gave her name as
Omolara, that she was yet to see her brother’s
corpse.According to her, she got a call from
one of the boat operators, informing her about
the incident but was sternly warned never to
involve the Police.
One of the deceased, Lawal, was said to have
been rushing home to his pregnant wife
when the tragedy occurred.
According to Omolara,
“Lawal was a mechanic. He had three
children. His pregnant wife called him on the
phone to rush home that she was in labour. I
believe he decided to take this route so as to
get home early. Ordinarily, he had a phobia
for river.
“The challenge we are confronted with is how
to get his recovered bodies. I cannot find the
person that called me on phone. He has
absconded with the body out of fear of being
arrested by the Police.”
The second deceased, Fatima, a petty trader,
was said to have gone to buy jewelries which
she intended to sell before Salah celebration
tomorrow.Another relative was seen wailing
as he claimed he was yet to see one Michael.
Police sources hinted that two boat operators
have been arrested with a view to helping
with information on how to get the recovered
bodies and detailed account of what
happened.