No fewer than 11 persons lost their lives as a boat conveying 29 passengers capsized on Tafa River, Maun 2 in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.
It was gathered that the incident occurred as a result of engine failure while the boat was already in the middle of the river.
An eye witness said the boat was ferrying passengers and their goods from Badagry in Lagos to Maun in Ipokia . According to him, the unlucky passengers were traders taking their goods from a market in Badagry s back home in Ipokia , before the boat capsized.
Spokesman for the Ogun State Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, blaming it on the overload of the boat. He said, “Yes. There was boat accident. It was overloaded . The boat did not have light, but it travelled in the night . “It collided with a pillar in the river. The passengers were coming from Badagry and going to Ipokia. It was the last boat left and all the 29 traders boarded the boat. 16 rescued alive, 10 dead Thursday and one died Friday. “No life jacket. There were marine police at the site. Two missing.
Skipper was arrested after he ran away.” Oyeyemi said the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, had directed that the DPO should enforce that boats must have live jackets and not carry more than their capacity. Meanwhile, Governor Ibikunle Amosun has visited the site of the boat mishap.
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