A joint statement issued by the Director-General, Lagos Safety Commission (LSC), Mr. Lanre Mojola and the General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mr. Damilola Emmanuel, said all operators must comply with the waterways safety code to prevent avoidable boat accidents that could lead to loss of lives.

According to the statement, “In line with the waterways’ safety code developed by all waterway’s regulators and stakeholders, boat transport activities are to take place between 5:30 am and 7.00 pm every day. It is an offense for boat operators and passengers to be seen on inland waterways outside of these hours”.

“Therefore, all waterways’ users are advised to strictly observe this time restriction in order to avoid boat mishaps. On no condition should anyone get onboard a vessel after or before the stipulated operational hours. Likewise, no passenger or operator can board a vessel without wearing a life vest with standard buoyancy factor”, it added.

The release also advised boat operators to adequately fuel their vessel tanks for each journey as fueling mid-sea is an unsafe practice, adding that they should also ensure regular maintenance of the engines for effective performance.

While noting that the last quarter of the year is a crucial period because of the general increase in commuters’ travel, it emphasised the need for boat operators to take extra safety precautions owing to the resurgence of water hyacinths on some navigable channels on the inland waterways.

The statement reads: “Boat operators are advised to navigate water channels cautiously to avoid ramping into water hyacinth as the plant could entangle boat engines leading to breakdown, loss of control, and in some cases, accidents. As you are aware, the Lagos State Government is developing a multimodal transport system in which all three modes of transportation available are being integrated to improve travel time, cost, experience and overall safety of all commuters”.

“The State Government has empowered LASWA and LAWMA to clear and dispose of all wastes on inland waterways in the State. This exercise is expected to commence soon. In addition, LASEMA, in conjunction with LASWA, has put in place a robust emergency response system that would see responders arrive at an accident scene with a full complement of trained first aiders and paramedics for any eventuality”, the statement averred.

But on Monday, July, 11, the Emergency authorities, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Lagos State Waterways Authority, had said a total of 15 bodies were found during a recovery operation conducted after the W-19 passenger fibre boat capsized.

In a statement by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, on Monday, he said the Governor was saddened by the incident and also sympathized with the victim’s family.

“He is deeply saddened by the incident and commiserates with the families who lost their loved ones,” Omotoso said of Governor Sanwo-Olu.

“The police are probing what went wrong and treating the sad incident as (a) criminal (case).

“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.”

Omotoso also hinted that the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and others are assisting the investigators.

The commissioner warned that anyone found to have contributed in any way to the tragedy would be made to face the law in a bid to ensure a reoccurrence of such an incident was prevented.

According to him, the rules and regulations of the waterways are clear, and they must be respected in accordance with the value that the state government places on human life.

Omotoso said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. May The Almighty strengthen them in this difficult time.”

The boat was sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe, a suburb of Lagos, when the tragedy struck.

16 people were on board the boat on Saturday before tragedy struck, killing two persons earlier, emergency officials said.

While two bodies were immediately recovered, two more bodies were later retrieved last night in rescue operations.

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA,  Zonal Coordinator, South-West, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

According to the statement, a total of 17 bodies had been recovered so far from the recovery operations of the missing victims.

“The recovery operation of the missing victims of an ill-fated boat sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe has led to the recovery of a total of 11 more bodies today,” NEMA spokesperson, Ibrahim Farinloye, said via a statement on Sunday.

“Late yesterday night, two more bodies were recovered in addition to the two earlier recovered in the morning. With this, it has become a total of 15 bodies recovered.

“It is likely that two more bodies have been sighted but until final recovery is done before that can be confirmed.”

The agency lamented that some illegal boat operators still violate rules stipulated by the Inland Waterway by carrying passengers after the end of official hours – 7pm.

According to NEMA, regulatory bodies have tried to stamp out illegal operations of small boat operators who hardly use life jackets after official hours.

The NEMA spokesman, however, maintained that the illegal operators do not heed to efforts put in place.

Farinloye added, “It was also observed that wooding boat are not permitted to be used as passengers boat but its only at this odd hours the illegal operators’ always put the lives of unsuspecting passengers at risk.

“Efforts are on the motion to address the gaps with all stakeholders such as Nigerian Navy’s Special Boat Service , Association of Boat/Ferry Operators of Nigeria, LASWA, NIWA, NEMA and Marine Police to address the situation.”

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed this in a statement.

According to him, emergency responders also rescued 15 passengers on board the boat that sunk due to a mechanical fault.

“The Lion squad of the agency responded to the above incident today 6th of July 2022,” he said. “On arrival, it was discovered that a 20-passenger ferry boat carrying 17 passengers named “R & N 2” had capsized due to a suspected mechanical fault and was rapidly submerged following its departure from the Ipakodo ferry terminal.

“A combined team of water guards, the search and rescue team of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and LASEMA responders were transferred to the nearest hospital for treatment. They unfortunately never regained consciousness and were later declared dead.”

The LASEMA boss stated that the boat captain is being investigated by the relevant authorities while LASWA has begun a probe into the cause of the accident.