Lagos Boat Mishap: Survivor Narrates Ordeal, Blames Accident On Boatman’s Greed

• A survivor who is identified as Moruf Kelani blames boatman for the accident.
• Kelani condemned the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) negligence towards the affairs of sea transportation, adding that the team was also not responsive on the day of the accident.

One of the survivors of the boat accident that killed 16 people on July 29 on Badagry waterways has narrated his ordeal, blaming the cause of the accident on greed.

The survivor who is identified as Moruf Kelani said the boat had 22 people on board including two operators (the boatman and his assistant) when it capsized at about 6:00 p.m. on July 29 while en route to Badagry.

According to Kelani three were rescued with a small boat, the boatman and his operator swam to safety, while 16 drowned to death right before him.

Kelani said he managed to hold on to the sinking boat until people came to his rescue.

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Narrating what happened, Kelani said, “Normally, we don’t pay fares until we get to our destination, but that day, the boatman insisted on collecting the money.

“The boatman thought that it would be difficult to collect N1,500 from passengers when they arrive Badagry instead of the normal N1200, so he started collecting the fares at the point of departure.”

Kelani said that instead of the assistant boatman to start the boat engine, he was supervising the boatman that was collecting fare until they reached the high sea without starting the engine.

“We realized that the high current was pushing the boat near the parked barge around Kirikiri, we shouted at him to start the engine.

“Alas! All efforts made by him to start the engine was in vain, the strong current pushed the boat under the parked barge at Kirikiri.

“At this critical time, two small boats were sailing along, so the passengers shouted for help and they came to rescue us.

“Unfortunately, only three passengers were able to jump into the small boats before our boat capsized,” he said.

He continued: “When the boat capsized, the boatman and his assistant swam out of the lagoon because they were experts. Then, out of the 17 passengers that went down after the boat mishaps, God saved me.

“The rest 16 passengers, including my friend and business partner, Benjamin Ojerinola, perished inside the deep sea due to greed of the boatman,” the survivor said.

Detailing how he survived the mishap, Kelani said: “When the boat capsized, I found myself deep down inside the lagoon, struggling to survive.

“As I was coming up from the sea struggling to survive, trying to reach the top, my hand touched the boat because the boat sank with us.

“Then, suddenly, God gave me the instinct to hold on to the boat that it will float because it was made of fiber.

“I held onto it with one of my fingers till we reached the top. I can’t see anything and I can’t swim.

“After the boat had floated out, I hang my leg around the boat and my head on somewhere on the boat for about 30 minutes with hope that before the boat gets to Liverpool jetty, a savior will come.

“My head was outside and I was able to breathe as the high current from the sea was carrying the boat from one place to another.

“The rest 16 passengers, including my friend and business partner, Benjamin Ojerinola, perished inside the deep sea due to greed of the boatman.”

Kelani condemned the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) negligence towards the affairs of sea transportation, adding that the team was also not responsive on the day of the accident.

He said: “LASWA did not rescue anybody because they came two hours after the boat had capsized to remove dead bodies of the passengers inside the lagoon.”

Kelani urged the Lagos State Government to totally overhaul and reorganize LASWA to enable the agency effectively perform its safety, standard and regulatory roles to make the state waterways safer for public transportation