Only three days after an unfortunate boat accident in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State killed two passengers, another boat accident occurred on Friday night in the Mile 2 area, leaving 16 passengers missing.
This comes as a massive flood hit several parts of Lagos State yesterday, killing at least five people in the Agege Oyatoki area and displacing many residents.
Mrs Sarat Braimah, the Lagos State Area Manager for the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), confirmed the boat incident in a statement issued yesterday.
Braimah stated that 16 passengers on the ill-fated boat had yet to be identified.
“On July 8, around 7.45 p.m., the National Inland Waterways Authority and the Lagos State Waterways Authority received a distress call about an incident on the waterways.”
A W19 passenger fibre boat carrying 16 people capsized in the state’s Ojo area.
“The boat going from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in the Ojo axis broke the waterways rules of late travel by setting sail at 7.45 p.m.,” she said.
According to Braimah, the tide of the water drifted the boat to a stationary barge, causing it to overturn.
“It is claimed that all passengers on board, including children, were not wearing life jackets.”
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) were immediately dispatched to the scene of the incident, but the boat was not found until several hours later.
“Efforts to find the victims are still ongoing.”
“The Boat Captain is also missing as of the time of this press release,” she said.
Braimah stated that the boat was currently in the custody of Marine Police.
Meanwhile, a massive flood hit several parts of the state over the weekend, sweeping away at least five people in the Oyatoki area of Agege and displacing many residents.
Among the key areas that were flooded were Egbeda, Idimu, Ipaja, Festac, Lekki, Ikeja, Ogba, and Victoria Island, prompting affected residents to mock the state government on social media.
Vehicles were stranded in the flood, commuters were trapped at bus terminals, small businesses were disrupted, and residents lamented the flood’s devastating effects.
As a result, there was constant human and vehicular traffic along Awolowo road in Ikeja, Akowonjo road in Egbeda, the old Oko-Oba road in Agege, Liasu road in Idimu, Herbert Macaulay in Yaba, Allen Avenue in Ikeja, Lawanson road in Surulere, the entire Festac, Opebi, Lekki, and substantial parts of Alimosho.
While residents blamed the disaster on the state’s inadequate drainage infrastructure, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, attributed it to Lagos’ geographical feature of being surrounded by massive bodies of water in all cardinal directions.
Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Zonal Coordinator, South-west, disclosed yesterday that five people were swept away by flood in Agege’s Oyatoki area.
Farinloye revealed that the incident involved two vehicles: a Lexus jeep carrying three people and a Toyota with three people.
He emphasised that six people were reported to have been swept away when rainwater overflowed an unfinished canal in the area, but that three of the victims were rescued and two were still missing.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday by the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mr Kunle Adeshina, the Lagos State Government expressed its condolences to residents of the state following heavy flash flooding in some parts of the state.
According to the statement, the commissioner, Bello, said that flash flooding on Old Oko Oba Road occurred as a result of 10 hours of nonstop rain, which caused the Oko Oba Canal Channel to overflow, which is currently being expanded.
He stated that the state government “has always advised motorists and residents to be cautious and refrain from wading through flood waters during heavy rainfalls, largely due to the dangers inherent in it.”
He added that the contractor in charge of the expansion project “has been slowed down by the intensity of the rains in recent weeks, but is committed to completing the project.”
“Because of the state’s coastal nature, flooding is unavoidable when there is heavy rainfall, particularly rainfall that began on Friday with high intensity and has not abated for more than 36 hours.”
He claimed that all of the water bodies into which the channels, including the Oko Oba channel, would deliver had risen and would only recede hours after the rain stopped.
Bello urged residents to exercise extreme caution because Lagos will continue to experience heavy rains until the end of August, and that all residents and motorists should avoid wading through floodwaters while it is raining.
He also urged everyone in the state who lives in wetland, depressed, or low land to be cautious of rising water levels and be prepared to relocate to higher ground during heavy rains to protect their lives and property.
