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A14-year-old pupil who survived Monday’s Lagos boat mishap in which several of his friends and schoolmates died has recounted the ordeal. The boy, Ade Hassan wept profusely as he reeled out names of the pupils of St. Mary Anglican Nursery and Primary School, Igbede, who drowned when the boat in which they rode to school capsized in the lagoon.
He gave names of the victims as Mistura Hassan, 9; Fausat Hassan, 7; Micheal Eniola, 12; Tope Rufai; Ayisat Hassan; Afisat Hassan; Abigail Aminu; Oniru Muyibi; Nofisat Aminu; Aminat Tijani.
Amid tears, Ade who spoke with Daily Sun at Ojota, a riverine community said he could only rescue himself and two others who sat close to him in the boat, while the rest of his friends got drowned.
He said: “We left home very early in the morning on our way to school. That was not the first we would be using boat to school. Everyday we use boat to cross to the other side where our school is located. We were just chatting normally with ourselves when the storm started blowing. It became too serious and threw all of us out of the boat into the water.
“We were very close to the shore and I can swim. People were just shouting, shouting and crying everybody fell into water. I rescued myself first and rescued two others before water carried the rest away.
Also speaking on the tragedy, one of the leaders of the boat operators in Agbede-Ojo who pleaded anonymity said the boat was almost at shore before the storm raged.
According to him: “It is very unfortunate, the boat was almost at this shore, but just a few metres away, the weather changed and the women asked the boat driver to move further so that they could stop at the nearby town to avoid the rain.
“In an attempt to do so, the storm started and one of the women panicked, she attempted to stand up from the boat and immediately, the boat lost balance and with the heavy wind, it capsized and all the children fell into the water. Some of the children died not because they could not swim, but because of the raging storm and wind, some who could swim were able to save themselves and others. It is a very unfortunate incident and we have never witnessed such before.”
He gave names of the victims as Mistura Hassan, 9; Fausat Hassan, 7; Micheal Eniola, 12; Tope Rufai; Ayisat Hassan; Afisat Hassan; Abigail Aminu; Oniru Muyibi; Nofisat Aminu; Aminat Tijani.
Amid tears, Ade who spoke with Daily Sun at Ojota, a riverine community said he could only rescue himself and two others who sat close to him in the boat, while the rest of his friends got drowned.
He said: “We left home very early in the morning on our way to school. That was not the first we would be using boat to school. Everyday we use boat to cross to the other side where our school is located. We were just chatting normally with ourselves when the storm started blowing. It became too serious and threw all of us out of the boat into the water.
“We were very close to the shore and I can swim. People were just shouting, shouting and crying everybody fell into water. I rescued myself first and rescued two others before water carried the rest away.
Also speaking on the tragedy, one of the leaders of the boat operators in Agbede-Ojo who pleaded anonymity said the boat was almost at shore before the storm raged.
According to him: “It is very unfortunate, the boat was almost at this shore, but just a few metres away, the weather changed and the women asked the boat driver to move further so that they could stop at the nearby town to avoid the rain.
“In an attempt to do so, the storm started and one of the women panicked, she attempted to stand up from the boat and immediately, the boat lost balance and with the heavy wind, it capsized and all the children fell into the water. Some of the children died not because they could not swim, but because of the raging storm and wind, some who could swim were able to save themselves and others. It is a very unfortunate incident and we have never witnessed such before.”
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