TRAGEDY: Eight Passengers Perish in Lagos

Governor Babatunde Fashola

While the people of Niger State are yet to get over the shock of a boat mishap in Borgu Local Government Area that claimed 26 lives, a similar tragedy occurred Tuesday in Lagos, leading to the death of at least eight persons.

The  deceased were passengers of a commercial boat, which was said to be heading towards Apapa Lagoon from Sagboki Village when the boat ran into turbulence along the way. This made the boat driver to lose control as  it capsized.

It was gathered that the 19-passenger boat had barely cast off from ashore when it developed a mechanical fault and started jerking before the turbulence overturned it.

While some of the passengers who could swim, swam back to the shore to alert other boat operators, those who could not were said to have drowned before help could come.

However, local rescue operators were said to have rescued 11 persons, including two teenagers who were heading to Liverpool to sell dried fish.

When contacted, the Lagos State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chukwuma Ozoani, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the incident.

He said: "The incident is  true and according to the information at my disposal,  only two persons allegedly drowned while seven persons were rescued.

"At the moment, rescue operations are ongoing by operatives of the Marine Police to see if any more persons will be rescued. The deceased persons would be taken to the morgue." 

Meanwhile,  a commercial motorcyclist yesterday escaped death after an encounter with  a policeman attached to the  Alade Police Station in Lagos.
Eyewitnesses accused the policeman of allegedly attempting to strangle the motorcyclist, identified as Jamiu Hanze,  at Shomolu area of the state during an altercation.

They said a team of policemen, who were trying to enforce the Lagos traffic law that restricts the operation of commercial motorcyclists on  some roads,  had  pursued Hanze who fled on sighting them.

After catching up with him, he was said to have been dragged down from the motorcycle and hit with the butt of the policemen’s rifles.

It was gathered that when the victim tried to defend himself, one of the policemen  allegedly tried to strangle him as he passed out.

The victim was rushed to Oguntolu General Hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment.

Infuriated by the  action of the policemen, passers-by marched on the police station over the ill-treatment of Hanze.

The protest was however hijacked by hoodlums, who brandishing  weapons, stormed the police station to raze it.  But they were stopped by a detachment of Rapid Response Squad.

Hanze’s mother, simply identified as Iya Moria, urged the police  to investigate the matter and bring the erring officers to book.

He emphasized that Nigerians have to be united to make the needed developmental impact.

“We have to remind ourselves that we must all work as a united people to foster growth and development of our dear State and country. We should see ourselves as belonging to one family.

“There is no country anywhere in the world that is crime free. But we should all join hands to ensure that our country marches on to prosperity. We have to be our brother’s keeper. We need to be security conscious and avoid being accessories after the fact of crime”, he said.

Fashola Advocates Peaceful Resolution of Nation’s Problems
As Lagosians yesterday joined the rest of the country to celebrate the nation’s 53rd Independence Anniversary, the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has advocated compromise as a critical tool in seeking solution to challenges currently facing the nation.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Police College Ground, said Nigeria is too blessed to resolve her differences with threats of violence or actual violence adding that it has become critical to employ compromise in order to achieve meaningful results.

Fashola told the gathering, that, “I believe that compromise is critical and we must all reach for it in order to make more meaning out of our situation.

“Many of our pre-eminent leaders lost many things. Some lost their lives, some lost their dignity, some lost their freedom”, the governor said.

CAN: We Must Change Our Ways, if we Must Develop 
The Bauchi State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Rev. Lawi Pokti has stressed that unless Nigerians and their leaders have a change of attitude, the country would continue to remain stagnated.

He urged Nigerians to rise-up and speak with one voice to avert the prediction of break-up of the country in 2015.

He further identified corruption and primitive accumulation of wealth from public treasury as the cause of the nation's backwardness.