Four persons have lost their lives while 19 others sustained injuries in boat accidents at different locations in Ilaje and Irele Local Government Areas of the Ondo State.
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps revealed the development in a statement issued to newsmen on Sunday.
The statement by the spokesman of the Ondo State Command of the NSCDC, Olufemi Omole, said the State Commandant of the Corps, Hameed Abodunrin, lamented that the victims died in the mishaps due to their failure to put on their life jackets.
Omole said: “A boat mishap at Ilaje Local Government Area claimed the life of one passenger leaving 15 others wounded as a result of over-speeding and refusal to use life jackets.”
In another accident in Irele Local Government Area, a small boat collided with a bigger wooden boat on the high sea in the night, leading to the death of a passenger, while four others were terribly injured.
Abodunrin warned that henceforth, the command’s Marine Special Force would be on patrol to arrest boat passengers who refuse to use life jackets.