Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has ordered investigation into the cruise boat mishap involving 17 medical students at the popular Marina Resort in Calabar, the state capital.
The governor, who is saddened that 3 of the medical students, who are in Calabar for the Nigeria Medical Students Games, are yet-to-be found, charged security and rescue agencies as well as local villagers involved in the operations to find the missing students and reunite them with their families.
Otu in a press release signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche, decried the safety standards at the resort, vowing that anyone found guilty to have compromised on safety would be severely sanctioned.
He said as a government, his administration remains committed to protecting the sanctity of life and providing an enabling environment for business, tourism and peaceful living, warning that any untoward action that could derail this objective will not be tolerated.
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He further expressed joy that all the fourteen but for one of the rescued students were out of hospital and was confident that the remaining one will pull through as doctors say he is stable and responding to treatment.
Governor Otu was full of praise for personnel of the Nigerian Navy, Police and local villagers who responded swiftly to the hapless revelers and rescued fourteen of the seventeen passengers on the boat.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)