Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered a probe into the July 8, Mile 2-Ibeshe boat accident in which lives were lost. He is deeply saddened by the incident and commiserates with the families who lost their loved ones.

The police are probing what went wrong and treating the sad incident as criminal. The boat, which is said to be unlicensed, obviously broke the waterways rules of “no night travel” and no overloading. Besides, not all of the passengers wore life jackets and the boat did not take off from a government-approved jetty.

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and others are assisting the investigators.

In a statement released by the State Commissioner for information, Mr Gbenga Omotoso disclosed that anybody who is found to have contributed in any way to this tragedy will surely face the law to ensure that we do not have any such incidents in future. The waterways rules and regulations are clear; they must be respected in accordance with the greatest value that the Sanwo-Olu administration places on human life.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. May The Almighty strengthen them in this difficult time.