The Lagos State Government says it has procured 5,000 drones for search and rescue operations on the waterways.

Director General of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, revealed this at the inauguration of Marine Rescue Units in four Jetties in the State.

The Jetties are situated in Lekki, Ijegun-Egba, Ikorodu and Ilaje-Bariga.

The inauguration of Marine rescue equipment was held at Lekki Marine Rescue Unit also known as the Shark rescue unit.

According to Oke-Osanyintolu, the development was to ensure safety of lives in case of emergency on the Lagos waterways.

He said that heavy and light equipment had been purchased and deployed to the units while state of the art Jet Skis, Rescue Boats, Ambulance Boats, Drones for surveillance, search and rescue missions would also be deployed for more efficient operations.

General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority, (LASWA), Damilola Emmanuel commended the initiative and promised more collaboration with other stakeholders to ensure safety on Lagos waterways, on air and land.

He appealed to all users of the waterways to always put on their life jackets while on board to safeguard them in case of accident.

A simulation exercise depicting rescue operations was carried out at the Lekki jetty to showcase how the new equipment would be put to use for rescue operations.