Gbajibo community in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State is reeling from the loss of lives after the 300-passenger boat mishap on October 1st, 2024.
Channels Television visited the grieving community still battling to heal from the wounds of heart-wrenching losses.
A 56-year-old Isah Maidusa who lost his wife in the tragedy shared a shattering last conversation with her and the miraculous survival of their six-year-old daughter Naima.
“My wife’s sister was organising a naming ceremony for her newborn and she told me she was going to return the next day. But she changed her mind because of the availability of another boat that was coming to our village for the Maulud celebration,” he said.
“Shortly after I heard a boat capsized I made enquiry and I was told it was the boat conveying people coming for the Maulud. I became worried and the next day my wife was found dead in the river and I was devastated and couldn’t hold myself.”
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‘A Big Loss’
Another resident Aliyu Abubakar was involved in the rescue efforts alongside government officials who were able to pull out over 150 passengers on the verge of drowning.
He recalled how the incident happened and described it as a “big loss” to the community.
“I am also a host for the people coming for the Maulud celebration and I got a call from a woman. I quickly joined in the rescue and we joined others who confirmed everyone likely to be rescued was evacuated,” Abubakar said.
“I don’t have any specific number of people who joined the boat but the Maulud could not hold again. It’s a big loss to us all as a community because we are all brothers.”
Gbajibo has in the last year buried over eighty people from three boat mishaps. On September 10th, 2023, 31 persons were buried here after a boat wreck, and the 44 people who died on October 1st, 2024 are lying here.
A community chief Abdullahi Gbajibo (Makun of Gbajibo) is worried that if this continues, the entire community risks being wiped out.
The place is home to local crafters of wooden boats and here too they do boat refitting but the ill-fated boat was not only requiring refitting but carrying beyond capacity.
In a show of solidarity, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Managing Director Bola Oyebamiji visited the community, donating 300 lifejackets and warning boat operators to ensure every passenger wears one while ensuring gradual facing out of wooden boats for fiber boats.
As Gbajibo begins the healing process, NIWA’s commitment to enhancing waterway safety brings hope. The authority’s efforts will help prevent similar tragedies in the future but this will happen only when NIWA keeps its own part of the bargain.
