“The tragic mass deaths on Friday, 7^th Oct 2022 at Ossomal/Umunankwo area of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State are beyond a mere “statement of expression of sadness or shock and extension of condolences to the bereaved families” by Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo-led Government of Anambra State,” the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) said on Monday.

It said in a statement issued from its headquarters in Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria, that “losing 81 defenseless and law abiding citizens of Anambra origin and residency in a day in such preventable or avoidable boat mishap is enough to fly flag at half mast or declare a state of mourning and public holiday if the authorities of the Government of Anambra State are truly sensitive to the safety of the citizenry and conscious of the sanctity of human lives. The mass deaths also ought to invoke the setting up of the Government ‘Expert Enquiry’ (“Agidigbaoto Boat Mishap Expert Enquiry”) to expertly ascertain ‘what truly happened, how it happened, why it happened, where it happened, when it happened and who died and who survived’.”

According to Intersociety in the statement signed by its Principal Officers; Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche Esquire, Obianuju Igboeli Esquire and Chidinma Udegbunam Esquire, “Such Expert Enquiry should further provide the accuracy of facts regarding the environmental circumstances that caused the boat mishaps including the functionality capacity or capability of the two boats involved and the individual, industrial and Government activities around the over-flown River Niger and its adjoining tributaries including the Urashi and the Iyiowa Rivers. The activities to be expertly looked into must include waste management around the area such as dumping of refuse in drainages, gutters and other waterways; construction of buildings or other properties in waterways and criminal approvals granted by relevant past and present Anambra State Government officials. It must be recalled as correctly reported by the media that no fewer than 81 defenseless citizens avoidably died on Friday, 7^th Oct 2022 at Ossomala/Umunankwo area of Ogbaru when the boat ferrying them from interior Ogbaru communities lost its engine and speed control. The boat capsized after hitting Ossomala Bridge covered and over-flown by heavy floods. The capsized Boat, locally known as “Agidigbaoto” was loaded with 85 passengers, out of which 76 drowned and believed to have died and nine survived. This is according to the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) through its Executive Secretary, Chief Paul Odenigbo, a former Secretary to the Government of Anambra State. It was later found on Sunday, 9^th Oct 2022 that 16 bodies of the 76 drowned defenseless citizens had so far been recovered and 60 others still unaccounted for. Intersociety also gathered that another “Flying Boat” had on the same day lost its speed and capsized leading to death of about five defenseless passengers.

“Therefore, granted that the River-line areas of Anambra State including Ogbaru and its rural and urban areas of Ogwu-Ikpele, Akili-Ogidi, Obeagwe, Ossomala, Ogwuaniocha, Umunankwo, Ogbakuba, Ochuche, Umuzu, Akili-Ozizor, Atani, Ohita, Odekpe, Amiyi, Iyiowa, Ogbeukwu, Okoti and parts of Okpoko have been seriously affected by the raging 2022 flood menace, it is not enough for the present Government of Anambra State to ‘issue sympathy message’ or ‘offer bread and butter and blankets and mats’ to flood victims and go home and rest. This is more so when the State is lucky for the second time to have an ‘expert-economist-professor-Governor’ in the person of Expert-Economist Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo. The 81 deaths recorded in the two boat mishaps would have been prevented if the failed portions of the Atani-Ogwuikpele and the Ozubulu-Atani Roads had been timely rehabilitated and proper water channels provided and drainages, gutters and other waterways unblocked. It was the inability of the Government to ensure the above that made it possible for River Niger to bust into the left side of the residential areas of the Ogbaru interior and urban-thereby blocking and cutting off vehicular movements along the Atani-Ogwuikpele Road, forcing most of the passengers to use boats as the only alternative means to their destinations. Under Peter Obi as Anambra Gov, the following critical infrastructures in Ogbaru were put in place: the N705m Iyiowa-Market Square/Abazuonu/Ihitenansa/Ibekwe/Acha/Madonna Catholic Church Road, the multi-million (hundreds of millions of naira) River Niger/Flood preventable slab opposite St Gregory Catholic Church and the multi-billion naira Atani-Ozubulu Road and its abandoned second phase as well as reconstruction of the Uga-Junction-Atani-Ogwuikpele Federal Road back in 2006.

Rehabilitate Atani-Ogwuikpele And Atani-Ozubulu Roads, Others To Appease The Dead

The Government of Anambra State is called upon to urgently commence rehabilitation of the all-important Atani-Ogwuikpele and the Atani-Ozubulu Roads so as to appease the death of 81 defenseless and law abiding citizens that died in the two boat mishaps. This our clarion call has become expedient because if the two important roads were in good condition, the lives of the 81 dead victims would have been saved or secured. The congested numbers of passengers recorded in the capsized “Agidigbaoto” Boat also strongly suggested that the passengers panicked and boarded the boat because they did not have a choice or another alternative means of movement. However, it must be conscientiously stated that the present Government of the State is not to be entirely blamed for the failed roads and other negligent conducts relating to the subject matter. The present State Government which came on board on 17^th March 2022 or barely over six months ago is expected not to have performed magic with regard to the failed roads and blocked waterways especially considering the empty treasury bequeathed to it by the immediate past Government. That is not to say that Anambra People and their elected Government will continue to dwell in the past.

“We therefore strongly call on Prof Charles Soludo Government of Anambra State to urgently rehabilitate the two important roads above mentioned. To be rehabilitated too is the failed portions of the Iyiowa-Ihitenansa-Abazuonu-Ibekwe-Acha-Madonna Road. Other important link roads in the area needing urgent Government attention are the abandoned ‘Power Mike-Nkutaku-Okpoko Road’ and various portions of the Habour Industrial Layout Roads in Ogbaru. In the case of the failed Atani-Ogwuikpele Road, its nine failed portions are: Ossomala axis, Ideke Community Secondary School axis, Green Lake axis, Deeper Life Junction, Eagle Aluminum by Iyiowa Market Square, Nkutaku by Obodoukwu Road axis, IWASIC Steel Industry by Atani Road axis, Obodoukwu Road by Atani Road Junction, Ejinkonye by Atani Road Junction and Uga Junction by Atani-Ogwuikpele Road Junction. There is also the need to construct the Iyiowa School Road/Okpoko/Owerri Road and a Bridge linking the Road between Iyiowa and Okpoko areas.”

Stressing the need for the setting up of “Agidigbaoto Boat Mishap” Expert Enquiry, Intersociety said: “An expert enquiry is required to be set up by the Government of Anambra State to expertly enquire into the circumstances leading to the death of the 81 defenseless citizens in the boat mishaps. The expert enquiry must include Government, corporate or industrial and individual or private citizens’ roles in Ogbaru and its environs including refuse dumps, blockade of drainages, gutters and other waterways and upgrading or modernization of the Ogbaru urban and effective preventive and proactive measures to guide against or checkmate future flood disasters, among other important relevant terms of reference. The ‘Expert-Enquiry’ under recommendation may be referred to as “the Agidigbaoto Boat Mishap Expert Enquiry or Commission of Enquiry 2022”.

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