NIWA arrests boat manager, 3 missing body recovered
By Christopher Oji and Steve Agbota
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has arrested the manager of Only God Marine Ltd, following a preliminary investigation into a boat mishap that occurred on October 7, 2024, at Imore, Lagos.
However, three missing bodies have been recovered after 13 passengers were rescued and were admitted in the hospital.
The incident involved a fiber boat owned by Only God Ferry owned by the company, which collided with a wooden boat, resulting in injuries and casualties.
According to a press statement from NIWA and made available to newsmen, the investigation revealed negligence and violations of safety regulations, prompting decisive action to hold the company accountable.
NIWA said investigations have revealed that, the fibre boat veered off its designated channel, colliding with the wooden boat due to the captain’s obstructed vision, primarily caused by the heavy load on board.
Additionally, the investigation highlighted that Only God Ferry failed to adhere to established operational safety standards and took improper navigation procedures.
In response to these findings, NIWA said it has taken decisive action by arresting the Manager of Only God Ferry for negligence and non-compliance with safety regulations mandated by the authority.
According to the agency, this arrest underscores its commitment to ensuring accountability and enforcing strict adherence to waterways regulations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
NIWA informed that further legal actions were underway, as investigations would continue until the management of Only God Marine would produces the captain of the boat.
“The authority aims to determine whether additional charges will be filed based on the captain’s involvement in the incident”, the statement added.
Meanwhile,Lagos State Police Command has put the number of recovered bodies to three.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Benjamin Hundyin,said ,”Three bodies have been recovered in the boat accident the occurred at Imore town in the Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos “.
SP Hundeyin confirmed that the Marine Police and other emergency responders have recovered three bodies and that the search for more recoveries would continue till further notice.
A senior police officer told Daily Sun, that,” We don’t even know the number of the passengers in one of the boats. The boat is not registered and there is no manifest to determine how many people that were in the boat before the tragedy.
“ I must tell you that the search can only last for four days. We started the rescue and recovery on Monday, so ,we have done two days for now,so in the next two days we will leave. We have been here with other emergency responders, patiently waiting for more bodies to be afloat, but there is a limit to how long we can wait”.
NIWA had said on Tuesday that a rescue team was already on the waters at Kirikiri in Lagos , searching for two missing passengers of a boat that capsized
The Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Mrs Sarat Braimah, made this known in a statement in Lagos.
According to Braimah, at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Monday, a fiber boat carrying 13 passengers, along with a deckhand, captain and cargo was travelling from Ebute Ero to Badagry when it collided with a wooden boat.
“ The wooden boat had just departed from Imore jetty, transporting passengers to Imore waterside. Upon investigation, it was found that the wooden boat had barely left the jetty when the fiber boat veered off its course. The collision was attributed to the fiber boat captain’s obstructed vision likely caused by the boat’s load,” she said.
The area manager said that of 15 passengers believed to be aboard the wooden boat (as no passenger manifest was filled), 13 were rescued, with five sustaining injuries and receiving treatment at a hospital.