Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered a probe into the July 8 Mile 2-Ibeshe boat accident in which lives were lost.
The Governor expressed deep sadness over the incident and also commiserated with the families who lost their loved ones.
State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, made this known on Monday in a release made available to newsmen.
Omotoso disclosed that the police were probing what went wrong and treating the sad incident as criminal.
According to him, the affected boat, said to be unlicensed, obviously broke the waterways rules of “no night travel” and no overloading, adding: “Besides, not all of the passengers wore life jackets and the boat did not take off from a government-approved jetty.”
He noted that the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and others are assisting the investigators.
Omotoso vowed that anybody found to have contributed in any way to the tragedy would surely face the law to ensure that the state does not have any such incidents in future, pointing out that the waterways rules and regulations were clear and must be respected in accordance with the greatest value that the Sanwo-Olu administration places on human life.
The commissioner, who said the thoughts and prayers of the state government were with the bereaved families, prayed the Almighty to strengthen them in this difficult time.
Anybody who is found to have contributed in any way to this tragedy will 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
