Nine bodies, including two women and seven males, were discovered following a fatal boat accident in Gbajibo, Niger State.
On Tuesday night, the boat sank while carrying 300 persons from Mundi Community to Gbajibo for the Maulid celebration.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency verified that 150 people were quickly rescued, while another 150 are unaccounted for.
The boat, which was largely carrying women and children, capsized during the trip.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, NSEMA Director General Abdullahi Baba-Arah stated that search and rescue activities were still ongoing as efforts were made to recover more victims from the river.
“Nine corpses have been recovered in the Gbajibo boat accident. Two females and seven men,” Baba-Arah said in a brief update.
He further explained that the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on October 1, 2024, on the River Niger, upstream of the Jebba Dam in Mokwa Local Government Area.
“The boat was carrying nearly 300 passengers, mostly women and children, from Mundi Community for the Maulid celebration in Gbajibo,” he added.
NSEMA, in partnership with the State Ministry of Transport, the Mokwa Local Government Emergency Committee, local divers, and community volunteers, is directing and monitoring the ongoing search and rescue operations.
As families and the community await more information, the tragedy emphasizes the hazards of overcrowded boats and the urgent need for stricter safety procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
