By Ayodele Oni
Kogi State Government has mourned the death of 20 persons that lost their life in a boat mishap on Tuesday.
The mishap occurred on River Niger,at about 4:30pm in Ibaji Local Government area of Kogi State with many others still declared missing.
It was gathered from a farmer, Mr. James Otoga that witnessed the incident, in the local government area said that it occurred in the evening of Tuesday .
According to him , the boat fully loaded with people departed from Onugwa community in Ibaji heading to Ilushi market, capsized leaving yet to be identified number of people dead.
“The boat was fully loaded with our people going to market for the first of October celebration. Only five survival have surfaced yet and 20 bodies have been recovered so far and more of our people are lying lifeless beneath the river Niger.
“Even those who came for a burial in Onugwa and were returning back to Ilushi were also missing. We are yet to confirm the number of people onboard and those who survived” he stated.
Confirming the incident the Chairman, Ibaji local government area, Ugeh Emmanuel through a telephone conversation with journalists, described the incident as the most disastrous in the history of the local government, saying many people have lost their lives in the accident.
“As I am speaking with you now, no body can authoritatively say this is the actual number of casualties. And again we can not even ascertain the number of people onboard right from their departure time..
“This is a very serious accident , the boat has not even reached Ilushi when the mishap occurred around 4:30pm. Most of the victims were moving to Ilushi for the cerebration of first October, which has been a tradition in the community before they met their untimely death”
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, on Wednesday, stated that “The Government and people of Kogi State received with deep sadness the news of the boat mishap which occurred on the River Niger, involving traders traveling from Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State to Ilushi market in Edo State.
“Reports indicate that the unfortunate incident has allegedly claimed the lives of not less than 26 passengers. This is a heartbreaking loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased, as well as the entire Ibaji Local Government Area, in this moment of grief.
“His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, has expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families and has directed relevant agencies, including the State Emergency Management Agency, to work with local authorities to provide immediate support and relief to those affected.
“The Governor further assured that the State Government will intensify ongoing efforts in collaboration with federal agencies to improve safety measures on our waterways in order to prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy.
“We call on our people, especially riverine communities, to always prioritize safety by avoiding overloading and by using life jackets and other precautionary measures whenever they travel by water.
“The Government of Kogi State stands with the people of Ibaji LGA and will continue to support them through this difficult time.”
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