Abbas, NILDS DG mourn Kwara boat accident victims

By EricJames Ochigbo

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, has expressed grief over the Kwara boat mishap, which claimed 104 lives.

In a statement on Sunday, Abbas said he was deeply pained that the precious lives of more than 100 of compatriots were lost during the unfortunate incident.

Abbas said the news of the mishap, which occurred in Patigi Local Government Area of the state, was devastating, noting that such incident must be avoided to save the lives of Nigerians.

“My heart bleeds. I was pained and devastated at the news of the boat mishap in Kwara. The lives of 104 Nigerians were so precious, but we lost them just like that in one fell swoop.

“The incident was one too many. We must guard against such occurrence in future. Necessary actions must be taken to prevent such incident.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that lost their loved ones during the incident,” he said.

Abbas prayed for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives, and wished those who sustained injuries from the incident quick recovery.

In a related development, the Director-General of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, has expressed sympathy over the incident, describing it as unfortunate.

In a statement, he said his heart was with the Emir of Patigi, Alhaji Ibrahim Boligi II and the residents of Patigi council area.

“I beseech Almighty Allah to grant forgiveness to the souls involved and provide their families and the entire community with the strength to endure this profound loss.

“I urge the government to take immediate and thorough action in investigating the cause of this unfortunate incident,” he said.

The NILDS director-general called on government to implement adequate and necessary measures to prevent similar occurrences in future.

 

(NAN)