The Marine police has said that between 10 and 15 corpses are being recovered on daily basis in parts of the Lagos waterways.
The State Marine Officer, Benjamin Ogungbure, a Superintendent of Police who disclosed this at the 2nd Annual Stakeholders’ Forum on Water Transportation organized by the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) on Thursday in Lagos said that so many accidents happen on the waterways unreported.
Represented by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP Akusu Ufuomanefe, Ogungbure noted that the waterways had been witnessing so much turbulence adding that people don’t feel the problem they were confronted with on the waterways.
According to him,”On daily basis, we have to recover 10 to 15 corpses, not even within the Lagos waterways but in parts of the waterways. So, many accidents happen. If you remember too well, during the time of Dr. Orji, when the police initially recovered the corpse, it was not that too fresh and I bet you, go along the waterways, you see on a daily basis 10, 15, 20 corpses.
“Day before yesterday, just before the Ikoyi bridge, a boat capsized, to God be the glory, we were called in, we rescued eight passengers on the boat and the boat operator was also rescued but the boat went down. Yesterday morning again, another one coming in from breakwater went down, everybody there were all rescued but the boat went down. How long shall we continue like this?”
He however appreciated the Lagos state government for providing the marine police with 10 fast moving boats which he said was given to them last year and which they had been using judiciously.
He informed that with the help of the fast moving boats, they were able to go after some hoodlums which snatched one of the boats belonging to Tarzan boats and recovered it from the hoodlums after exchanging fire with them.
“The fast moving boats given to the Nigeria Police including the ones we have are highly operational, they were scattered everywhere within the Lagos state waterways, from Badagry down to Ise to Epe but it is a pity, we are not Oliver Twist but I will tell you the truth, we want some more because 10 fast moving boats, each of them carrying double 200 horse power engines, we know the speed that will go and each of the boats has a high machine gun in front that the range of the bullet goes for 2 kilometers in front , the one behind, 1 kilometer. Tell me the criminal that will neat that, none. We are out for them and we will continue to be out for them”, he said.
He observed that 3 fast moving boats were stationed at Ise, another 2 at Epe while they had others scattered all over Lagos as according to him, those were the entry point through which criminals enter into Lagos adding that every community needed at least one or two fast moving boats to secure their environment.
Ogungbure continued,” These boats run on AGO and PMS which as we speak, the Governor has been trying, the police is also trying but we want some more. But I tell you the truth, above it all, timing is what matters. It has to do with you giving us information, if not for the timely information we got about Badore Tarzan, one of the engines might not have been recovered because those ones have already removed the engine before we got there.
“That was why my boss here was telling us about emergency numbers 112 or 767, get on that numbers anytime, anywhere, any day, somebody is there to answer your call and tell us about the activities on the waterways and marine police will be there in the next five minutes”.
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