No fewer than four persons have lost their lives while 19 others sustained injuries in boat accidents at different locations in Ilaje and Irele Local Government Areas of the Ondo State.
The Public Relations Officer of Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Olufemi Omole, made this known in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday, in Akure.
According to the statement, the State Commandant of the Corps, Hameed Abodunrin, lamented that the victims died in the mishaps due to their failure to put on their life jackets.
“A boat mishap at Ilaje Local Government Area claimed the life of one passenger leaving 15 others wounded as a result of over-speeding and refusal to use life jackets,” he said.
In another incident, in Irele local government, a small boat collided with a bigger wooden boat on the high sea in the night, leading to the death of a passenger while four others were terribly injured.
Abodunrin warned that henceforth, the command’s Marine Special Force would be on patrol to arrest boat passengers who refuse to use the life jackets.
