Nigerian Army confirms death of four soldiers in boat mishap

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the death of four Soldiers in a boat mishap in Bayelsa.

The Army said the remains of the soldiers were yet to be found, but residents said two bodies have been recovered.

Four soldiers drowned during the ongoing military training exercise codenamed “Operation Crocodile Smile” after their boat capsized along Brass Water Front, Brass Local Government Area of the state.

The acting spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, announced the death on Tuesday in a telephone interview.

Mr. Usman said the search for the bodies is underway.

A resident in the area, Jonah Kennedy, however said two of the four bodies have been recovered as at Tuesday evening by local divers.

“I learnt that the community youth, soldiers and other local divers are on search to see that those bodies are recovered,” he said. “This evening, we heard that two of them have been found.”

The Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union in Bayelsa, Lloyd Sese, described the incident as unfortunate. He urged the federal and state governments to improve emergency response along waterways in the state.