A boat accident in Niger state’s Shiroro local government area has claimed the lives of at least ten people.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency’s (NSEMA), Head of Relief and Rehabilitation, Garba Salihu, confirmed this development on Friday, November 17, to the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN).
Salihu, acknowledged a report to his agency which confirmed there was a boat accident on November 16 around 2.00p.m,in the Shiroro council area.
According to the report, the boat capsized at the Gijiwa/Kato ward terminal in the Shiroro local government region after leaving the Zangaro Bassa/Kukoki ward terminal.
Salihu said, about 34 people, including 20 men and 14 women, were on the boat.
He added that 24 people had been saved and one body had been found, while efforts were still underway to locate the other people who were still unaccounted for.
The deceased were identified as Farida Muntari, Rafiya Yakubu, Abubakar Sadiq, Na’ima Ibrahim, Amina, Safaratu Ibrahim, and Sadiq Ibrahim. Two bodies, he claimed, were unidentified.
While attributing the cause of the boat tragedy to a grafted tree, powerful waves, and water hyacinth, he highlighted that the Shiroro local government officials alongside the agency desk officer had visited the scene of the incident.
The ICIR reported that in six years, 1280 lives has been lost to boat mishaps with Niger topping the list of the affected states.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected]