Navy and Local Divers Rescue Seven After Bayelsa Boat Accident
BAYELSA — Nigerian Navy personnel and local divers rescued seven passengers after a boat travelling from Yenagoa to Akassa was involved in an accident near Abedigbene in Brass Local Government Area.
The Navy said the eight people on board included Bayelsa Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment Ebieri Jones, an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other passengers.
Director of Naval Information Captain Abiodun Folorunsho said personnel from Forward Operating Base Formoso responded after a local fisherman reported the emergency. The rescue involved sailors deployed at the Labrador Lagosgbene Houseboat and members of the Abedigbene fishing community.
Seven survivors received first aid
The seven survivors were taken to the houseboat and given first aid. Preliminary assessments found no visible injuries, according to the Navy’s operational report. They were later transported to Yenagoa to rejoin their families.
One passenger, identified by the Navy as a police officer, remained missing when the statement was released. Search-and-rescue operations were continuing. MBTV has not described the officer as dead because no competent authority has confirmed that outcome.
The Navy did not provide a confirmed cause of the accident in the statement cited by the News Agency of Nigeria. Claims about overloading, weather or mechanical failure would therefore be speculative unless investigators release further evidence.
Community support
The commanding officer of FOB Formoso, Captain Sunday Haruna, credited local divers and residents with supporting the operation. Coastal communities are often the first to report distress incidents and can provide essential local knowledge during searches.
Authorities have repeatedly urged passengers and boat operators to use life jackets, observe capacity limits and avoid unsafe travel conditions. Any official investigation into this incident should establish whether those safeguards were in place.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria report carrying the Nigerian Navy statement.
Featured image: illustrative Nigerian river photograph by Temitayo Agbaje via Unsplash. It does not show the affected boat or the rescue.
