No fewer than 10 people have died, while 24 others were rescued after a boat carrying 34 individuals capsized in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Head of Relief and Rehabilitation in the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) Garba Salihu disclosed this information to pressmen in Minna on Friday.
The boat incident occurred on Thursday at 2:00 pm when the boat, which had departed from the Zangoro Bassa/Kukoki ward terminal en route to the Gijiwa/Kato ward terminal in the Shiroro local government area, capsized.
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Salihu disclosed that among the passengers on the boat were 20 males and 14 females.
He identified those who died as Farida Muntari, Sharhabila Sagir, Abubakar Sadiq, Na’ima Ibrahim, Amina, Safaratu Ibrahim, Sadiq Ibrahim, and Rafiya Yakubu, with two bodies remaining unidentified.
According to him, the boat had six drivers, namely Dahiru Yusuf, Sa’idu Shu’aibu, Ahmadu Garba, Sa’idu Garba, Abdulaziz Yahaya, and Lukuman Sani.
Salihu explained that the mishap was caused by factors such as water hyacinth, strong waves, and a grafting tree.
The incident is the latest in boat mishaps in the country and Niger State in particular in recent months.
Boat accidents are frequent in the country owing to poorly regulated waterways due to overloaded boats, lack of maintenance, and poor safety, particularly in the annual rainy season when rivers and lakes swell and flood.
Last month, over 40 people were missing and presumed to have drowned in northwest Nigeria’s Kebbi state after a passenger boat capsized in strong currents
In September, at least 24 bodies were recovered and 50 went missing when a boat ferrying more than 100 farmers across the Niger river in Niger state capsized, officials said.
Two days earlier 10 people drowned while three went missing when a boat ferrying traders overturned in a lake in northeastern Adamawa state, according to emergency officials.
