The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has revealed the cause of Nollywood actor Junior Pope’s death.
News360 Info reports that NIWA said the boat accident which claimed the life of the actor and four others on Anam River in Anambra State in April 2024 was caused by human error, not mechanical failure.
He explained that the accident happened because safety rules were not followed.
Some passengers reportedly refused to wear life jackets that were offered to them before the journey.
Oyebamiji stated that there was no fault with the boat’s engine, nor was the weather or water condition to blame.
Instead, he described the accident as a result of carelessness and a lack of respect for safety guidelines on the waterways.
The NIWA boss expressed concern that such behaviour from passengers could make the agency’s work harder in promoting safety.
“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 also urged those who use the waterways to support NIWA in spreading safety awareness across the country.
Junior Pope and the others were returning from a film location for the movie Another Side of Life, produced by Adanma Luke, when their boat capsized near Cable Point on the River Niger in Asaba, Delta State.
