NIWA Arrest Boat Conveying Passengers Without Life Jackets On Lagos Waterways

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) on Wednesday arrested a yet to be identified boat operator carrying six passengers, all without Life Jackets along the Lagos waterways.

The boat which was moving at top speed, was intercepted by a NIWA team which had gone to Ibeshe town to sympathize with the community over the recent death of 19 members of the community who drowned around Mile 2 area while attempting to travel home to celebrate the Eid-El Kabir festivity with their loved ones.

As of the time of filing in this report, the passengers and the driver have been taken to the NIWA Area office in Marina, Lagos for further interrogation and action.

Speaking about the incident, the NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engineer Sarat Braimah said that the arrested boat passengers will be dealth with to serve as a deterrent to others who flout waterways rules and guideline.

Recall that two successive boat mishaps which resulted in the death of 21 passengers occured recently along the Lagos waterways, raising fears among waterways users about the level of safety measures being enforced by regulatory agencies of government.