'Dredgers were responsible for the mishap,' captain of ill-fated boats claims

There are reports that the recent boat mishap that claimed at least seven lives in Lagos on Saturday, January 30, 2016, was as a result of an impact from dredgers on the waterways.

According to Hakeem Balogun, the General Manager (Operations) of Tarzan Boats, the captain of the ill-fated boat, who was among those rescued, said the accident was caused by the activities of the dredgers.

Read: 4 dead in boat mishap

In his words, "He said they heard a loud noise on impact, before the boat capsized, very close to the spot where a mechanised dredger was working.’’

'It was when we got there that we saw that the boat actually hit a heap of sand left there by the mechanised dredgers.

'This is what we have been experiencing since the dredgers came here; the same route you plied on your way going, without any incident, could have had a heap of sand on your return journey.

'A similar incident almost happened about four weeks ago, but we lost our engine and the boat was damaged,’ Balogun disclosed.

However, Abisola Kamson, the Managing Director, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), who visited the scene, said it was too early to give accurate information about the cause of the incident.