The first set of survivors of the recent boat mishap along the Bonny River in Rivers State were rescued by a combined effort of local fishermen, a speedboat pilot and personnel of the Nigerian Navy who were the first responders to the incident.

The speedboat pilot, who was only identified as Ajoh, was said to have observed the distress of the sinking boat and its occupants and made a detour to salvage the situation.

Same for the fishermen who were out doing their fishing at the time between the Anchorage close to the Shell Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal and the NLNG gas loading jetty.

A security official, who preferred anonymity, told Kristina Reports that personnel of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base were also deployed to join the rescue efforts when they were alerted of the situation.  

“Yes, our friends in the Navy said that at about 7.30pm on that fateful Monday, 8th of January, 2024, their attention was drawn to an incident of a collapsed local boat within the Bonny Anchorage close to the Shell Administrative Office.”

“Immediately, the Base deployed two gunboats to the scene of the incident, where it was discovered that a boat conveying an unverified number of passengers had sunk.”

“Upon arrival, they observed that a local commercial boat driver had been called to help with the rescue and had so far recovered seven passengers from the water.”

He explained further that though the passengers could not say what caused the boat mishap, the Navy personnel had to allow the recovered persons to be conveyed to Amariari Fishing Settlement in Finima Community.

Efforts by Kristina Reports to locate the speedboat pilot was unsuccessful as at the time of this report. Meanwhile, several persons have hailed his efforts, describing as a “good Samaritan”, while others say he is “an angel in human form”.

Amidst resentments against the various emergency services, especially agencies responsible for manning the nation’s maritime space for not coming to the rescue of the victims of the incident, eyewitnesses say the Nigerian Navy distinguished itself by responding to the situation as quickly as they got wind of it.

Aside the Nigerian Navy, agencies such as the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Marine component of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) did little or nothing as a way of intervention.