Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
Civil Liberties Organisation, Bayelsa State branch, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to investigate the circumstances that led to the drowning of six policemen while on senatorial bye-elections duty in the state last Saturday.
Chairman of the CLO in the state, Chief Nengi James, said the investigation into the death of the policemen became necessary as the sad incident could have been averted if adequate safety measures had been put in place by the authorities.
Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa on Tuesday, James said reliable information at the disposal of the CLO indicated that the policemen were not adequately kitted with life jackets and other safety gears needed for marine transportation.
He claimed that the policemen were conveyed to their different places of election assignments in the night, in clear violation of standard marine safety rules and operational guidelines.
James stated, “As a civil society group, we are deeply saddened with the turnout of events that led to the ill-fated boat mishap that claimed the lives of six policemen in Bayelsa State during the just concluded senatorial bye-elections.
“While we call for adequate compensation for the families of the deceased policemen by the state government and the police authorities, we want to also call on the IGP to investigate the circumstances that led to that ugly incident to forestall future occurrence.
“Information at our disposal has it that standard marine rules and regulations were not adhered to in the course of conveying the policemen to their respective places of assignment. For instance, the policemen were not fully kitted with life jackets which would have helped to prevent death or reduced casualties, and the conveying of the policemen in the night is also a clear violation of marine regulations. ”