YENAGOA — TWO persons, one of them a Marine Police Inspector and a woman have lost their lives in a boat mishap in Bayelsa State. The incident occured Tuesday night at Igebiri creeck off the Nun River in the Southern Ijaw local government area of the state.
It was gathered that the inspector, whose name could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report, attached to the Sagbama Marine Department of the force died in active duty in an attempt to effect the arrest of a boat allegedly involved in illegal oil bunkering.
Vanguard learnt that the deceased inspector and three other officers, a sergeant and two constables were on routine patrol when they sighted a boat moving in a suspicious manner under the cover of darkness.
Sources told our correspondent that the police team gave the boat a hot chase and succeded in apprehending the occupants including the deceased woman said to be dealing in petroleum products at Sagbama town, headquarters of Sagbama local government area of the state.
According to reports, the police on intercepting the boat tied it to their patrol boat and were towing it to their base when tragedy struck somewhere at Igebiri with the police boat capsizing on account of what sources attributed to poor visibility and wave caused by the seized cargo.
While the three other policemen and others were said to have managed to swim to safety, the inspector and the woman were not that lucky as they were said to have drowned before they could get help from fishermen operating in the area.
When contacted the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew Oborududu (ASP), confirmed the incident but said the information at his disposal was sketchy.
Oborududu however said the matter was being investigated, adding that the remains of the deceased persons have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa.
Meanwhile the the four-day nationwide strike has paralysed virtually all sectors of the state economy.
Most commercial outfits have closed shops as a result of poor sales while the number of vehicles on the road could be counted.
The few commercial vehicle operators and okada riders on the road are having a tough time getting passengers most of whom have opted to use the opportunity to rest in their homes.
