A boat carrying over 30 passengers on board from Kasabu village in Agwara local government area of Niger to Yauri in Kebbi has capsized. More than 22 of the passengers have been declared missing. Alhaji Salihu Garba, overseeing Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Monday. Confirming the ugly development to the Voice of America through telephone, the Chairman of Yauri LGA, Bala Yauri, disclosed that the incident has left the people of the local government in deep sorrow.
He added that frantic efforts are ongoing by local divers to locate the corpses of the passengers who drowned in the river.
“From the information I gathered, more than fifty persons were involved in the accident while some of them escaped but as of now that I am talking to you, over thirty of them as still trapped in the river.
“We have mobilised the local divers to try and locate bodies of the victims for proper evacuation and possibly befitting burials in accordance with Islamic rights.
“The boat as I heard carried passengers who are mostly traders from either Niger State or Kebbi State alongside foodstuffs for sell before the unfortunate incident.”
Recall that Vigil360 news in September reported that President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation into recurring boat mishaps in the country. Mr. President emphasized that government agencies would be held accountable for any regulatory or safety lapses, urging that comprehensive safety measures and enforcement must be carried out on boating activities in the country.
The president directed various government agencies, including law enforcement, maritime safety, and transportation safety authorities to collaborate in identifying the causes of these unfortunate and preventable disasters.
