By Sampson Boroh
The Bayelsa State Police Command on Sunday confirmed that it has recovered corpses of six policemen who drowned while heading for election duties at Oporoma in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
NIGER DELTA TODAY (NDT) Online had reported that the incident which occurred on Friday when the boat conveying the cops reportedly capsized claimed the lives of three policemen while others were missing.
The deceased were heading to Oporoma, administrative headquarters of Southern Ijaw LGA, ahead of Saturday’s bye-election in the state to provide security when their boat drowned.
In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa State Command, SP Asinim Butswat, disclosed that the corpses of the missing officers totaling six had been recovered.
Butswat explained that five other officers in the boat were rescued immediately the incident took place while the corpses of the deceased were recovered by Marine Police Officers and local divers in the area.
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He added that the remains of the victims have been deposited at a morgue in the state.
“The Bayelsa State Police Command regrets to announce the recovery of the bodies of policemen who went missing after a boat mishap.
“The unfortunate incident occurred on Friday 4th December, 2020 when one of the speedboats conveying eleven Policemen from Yenagoa to Southern Ijaw capsized at Oporoma. Five of the Policemen were rescued immediately, while six were missing.
“A combined team of rescue officers from the Marine Department of the Bayelsa State Police Command and local divers have recovered the six bodies of the missing policemen and they are deposited at the mortuary”, the statement added.
The statement, while condoling with the family of the victims, said the command has been investigation into the boat mishap.
“The Command condoles with the families of the deceased. Investigation has commenced to ascertain the cause of the boat mishap”, Butswat stated.
