The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recovered 13 more bodies from the ill-fated boat sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe, a suburb of Lagos, on Saturday.
Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the Zone Coordinator, South-West, NEMA made the disclosure in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
He said that a total of 17 bodies had been recovered so far from the recovery operations of the missing victims.
“Late yesterday night, two more bodies were recovered in addition to the two earlier recovered in the morning. With this, it has become a total of 17 bodies recovered,” he said.
Farinloye said that illegal boat operators plying the waterways beyond the stipulated official hours led to the avoidable deaths.
He said that the act was a gross violation of the regulations of the waterways guidelines for operators.
“It was revealed that the regulatory bodies have tried to stamp out illegal operations of small boat operators who hardly use life jackets after official hours.
“But they do not heed to regulations put in place to stop them. It was also observed that wooden boats are not permitted to be used as a passenger boat.
“But it is only at this odd hour that illegal operators always put the lives of unsuspecting passengers at risk,’’ Farinloye said.
NAN
