Three teenagers, two boys and a girl, have reportedly drowned at a beach at Mkpanak community in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state.
The incident, which occurred on Saturday, June 15, 2019, brings to 10 the total number of persons who have drowned in the popular Ibeno beach from last year till day.
The beach is a few metres away from the operational base of Mobil Producing Nigeria.
Asuquo Isangdighe, one of the eyewitnesses, a photographer, said the victims had engaged in a road walk after which they dived into the river to have their bath.
Though the identities of the deceased could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report, Isangdighe disclosed that one of the victims had just graduated from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron.
“They were five and two of them escaped from drowning and their ages were between 13 and 19 years old.
“One of them just finished from Maritime Academy Oron.
‘The body of the female victim floated to the shores of the river and was thereafter buried same day at the bank of the river as custom and tradition demands.
“The two other victim’s body floated to the shores of the river on Monday and they were buried too at the bank of the river,” Isangidighe said.
David Akpakop, an indigene of Mkpanak, said that the incident was very unfortunate and a sad development for someone to lose his loved ones.
He however, said people do not want to learn, wondering know why the victims would endanger their lives by swimming in the beach.
“For now, the beach is not fit for swimming and on no circumstances should anybody swim,’’ he said.
Akpakop said that one of the victims just finished from Maritime Academy Oron.
He urged the Council Chairman to collaborate with the State Government to set up a task force to stop people from swimming at the beach.
He advised the state government to also set up a rescue team to save people from drowning at the beach.
Peter Akpan, the Ibeno beach Management Chairman, expressed displeasure at the incident, saying that he was not around when the incident happened.
“It is a sad situation. I came in on Sunday, June 16, 2019, and the Management team informed me about the ugly incident.
“We don’t want this to happen to us again. We want government to be to come to our aid and invest in the beach to make it a proper tourist centre.
On what is being done to curb the incessant incidents of deaths at the beach, Akpan said: ”we have sign board at the entrance of the beach and in the beach which reads that Ibeno beach is not safe for swimming.
“We have advocated that Ibeno beach is an ocean that is not fit for swimming,” he said.
Akpan called on state government to make Ibeno beach a proper tourist site on the state to have proper access control on the beach.
He also called on state government, stakeholders, spirited individuals, to provide life jackets in the beach in order to prevent people from drowning
When contacted the Akwa Ibom Police Public Relations Officer, SP Odiko MacDon, said that he has not been informed about the incident.
He however promised to confirm the incident as soon as he is briefed.
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