- Boat captain seriously injured, hospitalised
- 4 mishaps have occurred in same water within two weeks- Police
By MATTHEW DIKE
The Divisional Police Officer of Ilashe Police Station, Lagos, Superintendent Damian Okeke, three other police officers and a civilian, who was the captain of a speed boat they were traveling in, have narrowly escaped death.
Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred when the boat they were travelling in collided with a bigger boat, between Ilashe and Ijegun waters in Lagos.
A police inspector attached to the Ilashe Police Station, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that his DPO, Okeke, and the three other policemen had ferried two suspects in the boat to the office of the Area ‘L’ Commander, ACP Ishola Olanrewaju, situated at the Ijegun area.
But after handing over the suspects to the command, the DPO and his officers were returning to their station, when a bigger boat coming towards them collided with theirs and submerged it in the deep water.
The inspector revealed that the DPO and the other police officers wore life jackets, except the captain of the boat, who also sustained serious injuries and is now recuperating in a general hospital.
According to the policeman, “Our DPO had to swim and hold the body of the other boat as their own boat was sinking. The other boat sailed on top of their boat. Our DPO managed to enter the other boat. Another boat came and assisted in rescuing the people in the sinking boat. The captain of the bigger boat has been arrested by the police. The Area ‘L’ Command is handling the matter.
“The man, who drove the boat carrying the DPO and the police men, sustained serious injuries. It would have been worse if the engine of the other boat was on when it rammed into the other boat. The captain switched off the engine, when he saw that the boats were about to collide.”
“Within two weeks, the Ilashe and Ijegun waters have witnessed four boat mishaps. Three people were killed in two of the accidents.”
