NSIB begins investigation into Kwara boat mishap

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced investigation into the boat mishap at Kpada community in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, which has claimed over 100 lives.

The Director General, NSIB, Akin Olateru, while speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, stated that the Bureau would be carrying out a lot of fact findings through crew and passenger interviews and working with relevant authorities to be able to determine the probable cause of this accident.

Olateru said: “The boat mishap, which occurred on Monday night, was said to have been carrying not less than 250 passengers from a village called Egboti in Niger State.

“The access point was a challenge to us and accessing the scene by road would take not less than 12 hours. He commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP) who approved the use of a police helicopter to access the location with investigators to aid the search due to the difficulty encountered in accessing the roads.

“Currently, our investigators are on their way to the location but from the information we gathered, not less than 250 passengers were transported on a local boat and 106 fatalities were recorded while 144 passengers have been rescued.”

Olateru added that the aim of the investigation was to find out the cause of the mishap and not apportion blame. He stated that the organization would be working with relevant agencies, including National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to ascertain what happened and prevent future occurrences.

“Olateru urged local, state, federal agencies and other relevant stakeholders to maintain effective cooperation and collaboration so as to ensure transportation safety.

The NSIB also informed that it was soliciting information from the public in form of pictures, videos or recording evidence to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation which would also help ease the whole process.