At least 169 residents of the Gwajibo Mudi community in the Kaiama local government area of Kwara State are believed to have died in a boat mishap that occurred in Gwajibo village in Niger State.
Sources told LEADERSHIP that only 31 individuals have been rescued from the 200 victims of the boat incident.
Disturbed by the tragedy, the Kwara State government has dispatched a high-powered delegation led by the state House of Assembly Speaker, Engr. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, to Gwajibo Mudi to commiserate with the victims’ families.
The state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, expressed his shock and sadness over the tragic boat mishap involving at least 200 people from the Gwajibo Mudi community in the Kaiama local government area.
The governor conveyed his deep concern regarding this devastating incident and extended his condolences to the Emir of Kaiama, Alhaji Mohammed Mu’azu Shehu, and the people of Gwajibo.
“The governor has directed the state emergency management agency to join the humanitarian efforts for the victims, the survivors, and their families,” the statement added.
Another report, however, indicated that 25 people were rescued and 11 bodies recovered from the 200 individuals on board.
The boat was travelling from Mundi to Gbajibo in Mokwa local government area.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the accident occurred on Tuesday night when the boat struck a tree submerged by the rising water levels of the River Niger in the Kyadya axis of the local government area.
The director of media and strategy at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Habibu Abubakar Wushishi, announced yesterday that the incident occurred on Tuesday at approximately 8:30 p.m. with 200 persons on board.
He stated that the cause of the mishap was yet to be ascertained but that search and rescue operations had commenced.
He stated that the ministry is working diligently with the Ministry of Transport, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Meanwhile, the director general of NSEMA, Abdullahi Baba Arah, confirmed that the boat had departed from Mundi Village and was transporting passengers, primarily women and children, for the Maulid celebration at Gbajibo village.
The chairman of Mokwa Local Government Council, Jibrin Muregi, confirmed to LEADERSHIP that 11 bodies had already been recovered, and 25 individuals had been rescued alive, while search and rescue operations continue for the remaining 164 people.
It should be recalled that this boat mishap marks the second incident this year in the same village. The first incident occurred a few months ago when around 60 market women were involved in a mishap.
The Niger State government has repeatedly warned local boat operators to comply with regulations mandating that passengers wear life jackets before boarding any boat on the waterways in the state.
However, LEADERSHIP’s findings revealed that the passengers in the mishap were not wearing life jackets, contributing to the high fatalities.
NIWA Rescues 100 Passengers from Niger Boat Mishap
Meanwhile, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) announced on Wednesday the rescue of 100 passengers from the boat mishap in Niger State.
NIWA management issued a statement to LEADERSHIP confirming that the accident involved a wooden boat with approximately 200 passengers on board.
According to the statement, the boat was travelling from Gbajibo Mudi to New Gbajibo at about 8:30 p.m. when it suddenly capsized.
The NIWA management expressed disappointment regarding the crash despite the authority’s efforts to reduce such incidents.
“The management confirmed that the accident involved a wooden boat with around 200 passengers on board, travelling from Gbajibo Mudi to New Gbajibo at about 8:30 p.m. when it suddenly capsized.
“Preliminary findings from NIWA indicate that the incident may have been caused by the passenger boat’s overloading. While the Authority confirmed that rescue efforts are ongoing, they pointed out, ‘As of the last count, we have rescued more than 100 passengers from different parts of the channel.’
The authority reiterated that the ban on night travel and overloading remains in effect. ‘The Authority, therefore, warns boat operators to desist from flouting safety rules, including the ban on night travel and the overloading of boats.’
