By Ayodele Oni
Tragedy struck in Niger State as, at least, 150 passengers are, reportedly, missing following a boat accident in Mokwa Local Government Area of the State.
Report reveal that the tragic incident, involved a boat, that was transporting over 300 passengers predominantly women and children, which capsized during a journey to celebrate Maulid on Tuesday.
The passengers were coming from Mundi Community to Gbajibo town for the Maulid festival when the tragic incident occurred.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed the event in a statement issued on Wednesday, stating that rescue operations are currently in progress to find additional survivors.
Baba-Arah indicated that NSEMA received notification of the boat accident that took place on the evening of October 1, 2024, at approximately 8:30 pm, along the River Niger, upstream of the Jebba Dam, near Gbajibo Community in Mokwa LGA.
According to him, “The boat, which was transporting about 300 passengers, mainly women and children from Mundi Community, was en route to Gbajibo for the Maulid celebration.
“NSEMA is coordinating search and rescue operations in partnership with the State Ministry of Transport, Mokwa Local Government Emergency Committee, local divers, and other community volunteers.
“Thanks to the swift response of the local volunteers, over 150 persons have been rescued alive so far.”
Baba-Arah, however, assured that the search and rescue operation was ongoing, with further updates to be provided to the public as more survivors are located.
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Baba-Arah, however, assured that the search and rescue operation was ongoing. This is absolute nonsense. 150 people have likely perish in this incident. This boat that is carrying 300 people has it ever been inspected? Which directorate is in charge of this river transport.
Nigeria are always reactive when something bad happens.
There should be a proper investigation as to what happened and who is supposed to manage this river transport.
How can govt wait for this kind of tragedy to happen then they come on social media to tell us that they are rescuing people. This is absolute nonsense.