NEMA recovers 17 more bodies from Lagos boat mishap

Warns against dangerous driving during Salah holidays

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), yesterday, said that 17 more bodies had been recovered from the ill-fated boat sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe, a suburb of Lagos, on Saturday.

Zone Coordinator, South-West of NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed in a statement, said that search and rescue operations had ended.

The coordinator said that illegal boat operators plying the waterways beyond the stipulated official hours led to avoidable deaths.

He said the act was a gross violation of the regulations of the waterways.

Farinloye promised that efforts would be made by the Nigerian Navy’s Special Boat Service, the Association of Boat/Ferry Operators of Nigeria and the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), among others, to address the gaps.

IN another development, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), at the weekend, warned motorists against reckless driving during the Eid-el-Kabir holidays to reduce road accidents.

NEMA Head of Operations in Ekiti, Osun and Ondo states, Mr. Olanrewaju Kadiri, gave the warning in Ado-Ekiti during the launch of “Operation Eagle Eye’’ designed to sensitise road users on the need to embrace safety measures during the Sallah celebration.

Kadiri, who was represented at the event by Head of the Research and Rescue Unit, Mr. Abolarin Moses, said the sensitisation programme would last for six days.

The NEMA boss also warned residents to stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse on waterways to avoid flooding during the rainy season.