13 passengers' death: captain gets life jail
Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said those who died were two adult females, adding that the suspected cause of the accident was mechanical fault.
He said the boat went under shortly after departing from the jetty, adding that the incident was being investigated.
He said: “Two adult female passengers were retrieved unconscious and were transferred to the nearest hospital for treatment. They unfortunately never regained consciousness and were later declared dead.
“The boat captain is currently being investigated by the relevant authorities.”
Yesterday, a Lagos State High Court sitting in Eti-Osa has sentenced a boat captain, Happiness Elebiju, to life imprisonment following the July 29, 2020 death of 13 of his passengers while he was operating from an illegal jetty.
Justice Josephine Oyefeso convicted Elebiju on an 11-count charge of manslaughter and six months imprisonment for operating his boat without a license.
The judge held that the prosecution successfully proved the charge against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.
The boat mishap occurred at about 5:45pm on July 29, 2020, on the Kirikiri waterways in Lagos when the defendant’s boat conveying 20 passengers capsized, killing 13 persons including two children.
The boat loaded its passengers from Kirikiri, heading to Badagry.
Elebiju pleaded not guilty at his arraignment by the Lagos State Government in 2020.
During trial, the then Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs Olayinka Adeyemi (now a judge of the Lagos State High Court), called five witnesses that testified against the defendant.
Contact: 08104946237
No comments:
Post a Comment