A Journalist, staff of Vanguard Media Limited, Godfrey Bivbre and 22 other passengers, narrowly escaped death when a speed boat they were travelling on suddenly capsized in the middle of the lagoon from Agbara area en route Liverpool, Apapa Lagos. Fortunately, no life was lost in the mishap which included two women. According to survivors, the mishap was as a result of excessive speeding and carelessness of the boat pilot, who disregarded all pleas to reduce the speed of the boat.
According to Bivbre, who spoke with Vanguard, all the victims were rescued alive because they had life jackets strapped on them, which made them float in the water before the rescue team arrived. He narrated the lucky escape, thus,” If not for Divine intervention I would have been dead by now. I left home on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, heading for CMS. “As usual, l headed for the jetty to take a boat heading for Liverpool.
A young man in his late 20’s or early 30’s was the pilot we took off from Agbara Jetty exactly, 10 am. Initially, it was a smooth ride until we got to Ojo area of the journey when another boat overtook us. “Our pilot, apparently felt embarrassed by his slow movement suddenly, started pursuing the boat that overtook us. “At first no one said a word until he became so obsessed with the pursuit. Just before we got to Ijegun we started telling the young man to take it easy but he wouldn’t listen, he disregarded our call for caution..
“A little after Alakija, he wanted to manoeuvre and the boat capsized and threw us in the water. “All 23, including the pilot found ourselves facing death. Divine luck was however on our side as Navy officials who were on drill nearby came to our rescue with other boats around. “All 23 of us came out alive to the glory of God. This definitely, calls for Thanksgiving.” The survivor, who said he had seen a doctor for medical attention, therefore, called on both Federal and State governments to launch a-24 hour patrol of rescue team on waterways in order to respond promptly, as well as save lives during an emergency. Vanguard
Pix: boat plying Lagos waterways
