Niger Boat Mishap: Nine More Bodies Recovered, 24 Rescued, Says NSEMA

After a boat carrying 34 people capsized in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, no fewer than 10 people perished and 24 others were saved.

This information was made public to pressmen in Minna on Friday by Garba Salihu, the head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA).

The boat capsized on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. as it was traveling from the Shiroro local government area to the Gijiwa/Kato ward terminal.

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Salihu revealed that there were 14 female passengers and 20 male passengers on the boat.

Two bodies are still unidentified, but he recognized Farida Muntari, Sharhabila Sagir, Abubakar Sadiq, Na’ima Ibrahim, Amina, Safaratu Ibrahim and Rafiya Yakubu as the deceased.

He claimed that there were six people operating the boat: Abdulaziz Yahaya, Lukuman Sani, Dahiru Yusuf, and Sa’idu Shu’aibu.

Salihu cited a grafting tree, strong waves, and water hyacinth as the causes of the accident.

The incident is the most recent boat accident to occur in the nation, and particularly in Niger State.

Due to poorly maintained waterways, overloaded boats, poor maintenance, and poor safety—especially during the yearly rainy season when rivers and lakes swell and flood—boat accidents are common throughout the nation.

In northwest Nigeria’s Kebbi state last month, a passenger boat capsized in strong currents, and more than 40 people were reported missing and believed to have drowned.

According to officials, a boat carrying more than 100 farmers across the Niger river capsized in September, at least 24 bodies were found and 50 went missing.

Source: Channels TV