NIWA to prosecute boat owner, operators over Kogi accident

A few hours after a wooden boat capsized in Kogi State, the National Inland Waterways Authority announced that it would investigate and prosecute the boat captain and owner for deliberate disobedience to the existing law on waterways.

The agency, in a statement on Friday, stated that it has sent an emergency rescue team to search for missing passengers.

Recall that in the early hours of Friday, a merchant boat capsized in the waters of Ebe Community in Kupa South Local Government Area of Kogi State.

According to NIWA, preliminary findings indicate that the wooden boat was travelling to the Katcha Market in Niger State when it suddenly went under due to poor visibility and overloading.

NIWA stressed that there are no details of lives lost so far.

NIWA explained that the wooden craft, operated by an unknown boat operator, left with an unsubstantiated number of passengers “from an abandoned jetty at 1 am on Friday with the intent to beat NIWA’s tight surveillance on the waterways.”

The agency, however, added that to unravel the cause of the accident, it has set up a panel to ascertain the real cause of the accident, the total number of passengers on board, and the owner of the craft.

NIWA added that the agency’s management is leading and coordinating the rescue operations and ensuring the survivors of the boat mishap receive urgent medical attention.

The Managing Director of NIWA, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, disclosed that the agency will, in due course, release more information after the investigation has been concluded.

Oyebamiji maintained that the agency is shocked by this incident despite all efforts to sensitise Nigerians about safety measures on waterways.

He lamented that the ugly incident is coming months after NIWA unveiled the National Waterways Transportation Code and visited communities and stakeholders to get their buy-in to the strategies to curb accidents on water.

“NIWA will investigate this accident and will prosecute the boat captain and owner for deliberate disobedience to the Extant Law on waterways, “the NIWA MD assured.