How Bayelsa Ex- deputy governor survived boat mishap(photo)

But for the timely intervention of the locals, the former deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Peremobowei Ebebi, would have died in a boat mishap that claimed four persons in the state on Saturday.

While Ebebi lived to tell the story, an officer of the Department of State Security (DSS) was reportedly not fortunate, as he was said to be among the dead casualties.
The DSS officer, before the incident, was attached to the office of the state Project Monitoring Department located along the Imgbi Road, Bayelsa State.

He was said to have escorted the head of the department, Mr. Ball Oyarede, who is aspiring for a seat in the state House of Assembly, to Ekeremor Local Government Area for the just concluded ward congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).



Oyarede, a former Commissioner for Land and Housing and former state Representative, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties.
While returning from the ward congress, a boat the DSS officer and Ebebi boarded at the Ekeremor Town jetty overturned before taking off and emptied its occupants into the water.
Sources at the jetty said the scramble to rescue Ebebi led to the death of the DSS officer and three others.

One of the sources who pleaded anonymity blamed the incident on overloading.

According to him, the boat was loaded beyond its capacity which forced it to tilt and eventually turn upside down.

“Most of the dead victims were trapped in the enclosed compartment of the boat when it turned upside down. Immediately the incident happened, the villagers who were at the jetty dived into the water in search of Ebebi.
“Eventually when they lifted him, he had taken in so much water and was unconscious. He was later revived. But before help could come the way of other victims, they had drowned,” he said.

The source also said that the victims were not wearing life vests when the incident occurred.

He confirmed that bodies of the casualties were immediately recovered by local divers and were brought to Yenagoa on Saturday.
It was gathered that a crane was later hired to lift the capsized boat.
When contacted, the state Director, DSS, Mr. La’san Baba, said the service had yet to confirm the death of its officer.