At least 36 bodies have been recovered, with 114 people still missing following a tragic boat accident that took place on Tuesday on the Niger River, upstream of the Jebba Dam in the Gbajibo Community of Mokwa Local Government Area, Niger State.
The boat, carrying approximately 300 passengers en route to a Maulud celebration, capsized around 8:30 pm.
The passengers, mainly youths from Kwara State, were traveling from New Gbajibo in Kwara State to Old Gbajibo in Niger State.
Around 150 of the passengers were rescued alive after the accident.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), the Niger State Ministry of Transport, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the Mokwa Local Government Emergency Committee, local divers, and other community volunteers, 16 bodies were initially recovered on Wednesday.
In an update provided by NSEMA’s Director General, Abdullahi Baba Arah, 20 additional bodies were found on Thursday, raising the total number of recovered bodies to 36.
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“As of 6 pm today, we have so far recovered about 36 bodies of those who drowned and died in the river. We recovered 16 yesterday and 20 today. And they have all been buried, ” he revealed.
Arah also mentioned that search-and-rescue efforts are still underway to recover more bodies from the river.
The tragedy has been linked to multiple violations of waterway regulations, including overloading the boat with 300 passengers, the use of a substandard wooden vessel, the absence of life jackets, and nighttime sailing at 8:30 p.m.
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