The National Inland Waterways Authority has revealed that the boat crash that killed Nollywood actor Junior Pope and four others in 2024 was caused by human error, not a mechanical problem.
The agency’s managing director, Bola Oyebamiji, made this known on Thursday during a transportation forum held in Abuja.
Oyebamiji explained that some of the passengers on the boat rejected life jackets before the trip. He said their refusal showed a total disregard for safety rules on water travel.
“It was not mechanical failure, not impediments in the water or weather challenges, but purely a flagrant disregard for rules and regulations guiding movement on the inland waterways,” Oyebamiji said.
He warned that such behaviour weakens NIWA’s efforts to keep people safe on Nigeria’s rivers.
Junior Pope and others died in April 2024 when their boat capsized on the Anam River in Anambra State. They were returning from a film location for the movie *Another Side of Life*, produced by Adanma.
The boat sank near Cable Point at the River Niger waterside in Asaba, Delta State.
Top officials at the Abuja forum included the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, heads of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau and Nigerian Meteorological Agency, and Air Peace CEO, Allen Onyema.
