Recovery efforts are underway in the Gbajibo River, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, following the tragic capsizing of a wooden boat carrying 300 passengers on Tuesday night. As of press time, the water marshals of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), in collaboration with the Nigeria State’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and local divers, have recovered 70 bodies and rescued 150 individuals, while the search for the remaining missing passengers continues.
President Bola Tinubu has expressed his condolences to the Government and people of Niger State over the unfortunate accident. In response, Governor Mohammed Bago has voiced his sadness regarding the incident and pledged to enhance enforcement of laws governing water transportation to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Mrs. Sarat Braimah, the Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, attributed the accident to illegal operations by the boat operators, who set sail at 8:30 p.m.—a violation of the water transportation code that prohibits night sailing. She defended NIWA against accusations of negligence, stating that the four water marshals assigned to the Gbajibo River had completed their duties for the day and left before the ill-fated boat began loading.
NIWA has highlighted several factors that contributed to the incident, including overloading (as the wooden boat carried 300 passengers), the use of substandard vessels without necessary navigational aids, a lack of safety vests among passengers, and the banned practice of night sailing