Pauline Onyibe 
A wooden cargo boat, identified as ‘Godbless Dickson’, laden with cargo and over 64 passengers and crew exploded, bursting into flames, leaving 20 persons dead in Bayelsa State waterways.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday along the Ezetu 1 community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa.
The Police Spokesman in Bayelsa, ASP Musa Mohammed, said 20 people have been so far confirmed dead, while rescue efforts by the Marine Police unit were still ongoing.
Chairman of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Ipigansi Ogoniba, yesterday also confirmed the death of the people in the accident along Ezetu Ukubie waterway. It was learnt that the local boat was journeying from Ekeni in the Southern Ijaw area of the state to Yenagoa when the accident occurred at about 5.30am on Wednesday.
However, Ogoniba said that no one can ascertain the number of casualties, adding that the boat carried about 64 persons with load. He said: “They sell from town to town. They return to yo Swali market.
On that day, they were returning from Southern Ijaw to Yenagoa for Swali market before the incident took place within Ezetu and Ukubie.” “Those that can swim, swam to safety, while others that were sleeping and can’t swim were burnt with the boat.”
He said that: “We sent divers to go on a rescue mission. For now, we don’t know how many people died. It will be later that the number of casualties will be ascertained.”
A speed boat operator, Mr Augustine Amayoro, who participated in the rescue efforts, said he rescued 10 persons from the scene, leaving other passengers stranded in the nearby fishing camp.
In his reaction, the Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Hon. Target Isaiah Segibo expressed grief over the incident.
He warned operators of marine transport in the area to place utmost value on the safety of lives and properties by providing life jackets to all passengers and ensure that their vessels are in good condition before every journey.
Target Segibo called on the Maritime Union Officers and men of the marine police and the Nigerian Navy to always check particulars of boat operators to confirm their compliance to maritime safety rules in order to forestall further occurrence of boat accidents.
He commended security agents in the area for their timely actions in curbing crime in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and other parts, which he said has reduced the crime rate in recent times.
