15 persons Missing, One Dead As Ocean Surge Sacks Lagos Beach

An ocean surge in the early hours of Saturday left one person dead and 15 missing, as the ocean encroached on the popular Kuramo Beach and its environs in Lagos.
The Police had on July 4 announced a one-week closure of the beach to evacuate squatters and hoodlums in the area.

The Divisional Police Officer, Victoria Island Station, Mr. Adegoke Fayode, had reportedly said, “We are closing down the beach for one week; a team of security agents will continue to raid the beach to rid it of criminals.

“We are raiding all the cabins on the beach. Anyone who wants to work in the cabins must be known by the security agents. After the exercise, anyone coming to Kuramo beach must feel safe. We do not want criminals to use the beach as a hideout any longer.”

Earlier, a combined team of the police, the army, immigration and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency officials had raided the beach and arrested some people on July 1.

However, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Femi Oke-Osayintolu, who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria, said the disaster occurred at about 2 a.m when residents were asleep.

He added that most of the victims were people occupying illegal shanties at the beachfront.

He said, “Yes, there was an ocean surge at Kuramo Beach very early on Saturday and we have some casualties. We have just recovered one body and we are still on a frantic search for about 15 people still missing.

“We have cordoned off the entire area and have asked residents to vacate the area immediately. It is a serious thing, but we are on top of the situation.’’

Osayintolu said ocean surge was rampant in communities around beach fronts, and this had wreaked havoc in the past.

He advised persons living or trading near other waterfronts in the state to vacate such places immediately.

A resident of Iru community where the surge occurred, Mr. Akin Bayode, said the disaster was compounded by abandoned vessels, particularly ship wrecks at Alpha Beach and other beaches in the state.

He therefore called on the Federal Government to assist the state in removing the wrecks in order to effectively address the problem.

Source: PUNCH

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