17 bodies recovered from Lagos boat mishap

At least 17 bodies had been recovered from the scene of Friday’s boat mishap along the Ojo area of Lagos State.

The ill-fated boat which took off from Mile 2 and headed to Ibeche in the Ojo axis capsized at 7:45 p.m. on Friday.

The Zone Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

He said: “Late yesterday night, two more bodies were recovered in addition to the two earlier recovered in the morning.

“With this, a total of 17 bodies recovered.”

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Farinloye told journalists that the search and rescue operations had ended

The coordinator blamed illegal boat operators plying the waterways beyond the stipulated official hours for the avoidable deaths.

“It was revealed that the regulatory bodies have tried to stamp out illegal operations of small boat operators who hardly use life jackets after official hours.

“But they do not heed to regulations put in place to stop them.

“It was also observed that wooden boats are not permitted to be used as a passenger boat.

“But it is only at this odd hour that illegal operators always put the lives of unsuspecting passengers at risk,” he added.

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