A boat that took off from Mundi Village conveying passengers to Gbajibo village in Mokwa local council of Niger State after local market day on Tuesday 1st October,2024,has capsized with the 200 passengers on board.
The Director Media and Strategy,Niger State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management,Habibu Abubakar Wushishi who disclosed this in a statement made available to Journalists in Minna on Wednesday 2nd, October, explained that the incidence occured 8.30pm, adding that the cause of the mishap is yet to be ascertain.
He added”Hon Commissioner,Niger State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Alhaji Ahmed Baba Suleiman Yumu,and the Permanent Secretary, Barrister Mairo Mohammed Mann,said that they received the report of the unfortunate Boat Mishap which occured at Gbajibo village in Mokwa LGA of the State on Tuesday, with shock and pains”.
The statement noted that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management in collaboration with Ministry of Transport,Niger State Emergency Management Agency as well as National Inland Water Ways are working assiduously to unraveled the circumstances surrounding the accident, saying public and critical stakeholders would continue be updated as the search and rescue efforts is ongoing.
The statement recalled that the mishap is the second of its kind that occurred in the same village few months back.
The Ministry had cautioned all residents of the riverine areas to desist from night boat travels,overloading and usage of rickety boats,and stressed the need for using live boats to avert future occurrence.
However, while the Ministry reported the boat capsized with 200 passengers on board,the agency under the Ministry put the figure at 300.
The Ministry commiserated with the people of Gbajibo village, Mokwa Local Council and Niger State Government over the unfortunate and avoidable accident.
In a related development,it was gathered that the accident was due to overloading and night travel, adding that some of the passengers were going for a Maulud from New Gbajibo in Kwara state to old Gbajibo in Niger state.
It was also learnt that so far 9 dead bodies have been recovered,2 female,and 7 men.