BOAT accidents have become a recurring tragedy on Niger State’s waterways, claiming hundreds of lives in incidents that many say were largely preventable.
Under the scorching sun in Mokwa town of Niger State, a 55-year-old farmer, Abdulhamid Umar watched helplessly as rescuers pulled lifeless bodies of his two sisters and a teen boy from the river after a capsized boat claimed over 60 lives. Their deaths, like many before, were seen as not accidents of fate but of failures of safety oversight, regulation, and enforcement in Niger’s fragile water transport system.
“This ugly incident is now exactly one year and a month when thousands from Gbajibo Mubi to Gbajibo here were consumed by the boat accident,” Umar, told ICIR, starring at the boats on the river.
On October 1, 2024, when several Nigerians were flying the country’s flag, Umar’s family had already been consumed by the boat ferrying them from Mubi, Kwara State to Gbajibo in Niger State for Mawlid celebration.
“I lost three family members – a teen boy and two females to the ill-fated accident,” the 55-year old farmer said, adding: “The boat operator was almost close before the water began to swallow occupants.”
Life almost fled out of Umar when the tragic news was broken to him. Until his family members were buried, he continued to question the cause of the incident resulting in their death.
He, however, resigned to fate, saying: “We accept it in good fate as we all found their lifeless bodies when the rescue team searched for us. We buried them closer to water”, he told The ICIR, sobbing.
Findings’ reveal that after two ill-fated accidents in Gbajibo village, claiming over 200 lives, a regulatory body was set up to checkmate over-loading of passengers and goods.
He said, “There was a NIWA committee formed after the two accidents occurred, comprising a water marshal and a marine to check boats. The union also checks the condition of boats before leaving. The rule is still in force.”
Boats overloading unabated
During a visit in October, several boats docking at Gbajibo’s Friday market were seen overloaded with passengers despite the tragic accidents previously linked to such dangerous excesses. Umar urged authorities to provide them with flying boats and lifejackets to ferry without fear of being drowned.
“If we can get a flying boat, we can get to the accident scene within minutes, and that will be commendable. They provided a few lifejackets, but we need more,” he said.
One late evening, Nuhu Usman, one of the survivors of boat accident that claimed many lives in Gbajibo village under Mokwa, set out to his farm. He joined the crowd toppling into boats to celebrate the Annual Mawlid in Gbajibo.
“We moved from Gbajibo Mubi to Gbajibo for the annual Mawlid. Others were coming for Mawlid but were heading back home after naming ceremony”, Usman said, adding: “We were eight in our family-five men with one little child that we lost to the incident. Two women also lost their lives.”
Usman, who survived the accident, had been left with a permanent scar of how he and other family members survived the incident.
Recounting how the incident happened, Usman said, “The boat had two engines but one was used while moving. The fault started from the engine and the spare engine started but didn’t work. It switched off immediately.”
He further narrated that the driver pushed on with the journey, even as the boat lurched from left to right before it finally began to sink.
According to him, the victims shouted for help while the water began to sink the engine and the boat. Suddenly, the victims began to drop inside the water as the boat sank.
Amidst battling on how to survive the accident, Usman picked a water-flask and handed it to his brother. “Before I jumped out, I made sure the boat almost sank. My brother could not swim so I had to assist him.
“I told him not to jump into the water as he could not swim then; I handed him the flask.”
Commenting on overloading of passengers, he said each of the boats meant to carry about 20-30 passengers had been conveying more than 100.
Niger leads in boat mishap
Data reviewed by The ICIR shows that Niger State has consistently ranked among states with the highest number of fatal boat accidents in the country over the last decade. Between January 2023 and October 2025, boat mishaps in Niger state have accounted for a significant share due to heavy reliance on river transport.
Also, media reports reviewed by The ICIR show Niger state has reported no fewer than 189 deaths across 11 separate boat mishaps within the year in review, making it one of the states with the highest number of reported incidents nationwide within the period reviewed.
It also shows a pattern of recurrent mass-casualty incidents concentrated around Mokwa, Shiroro, Borgu, Lapai and Agaie LGAs. The deadliest incident occurred at Gbajibo River, Mokwa, in October 2024, where about 60 people were confirmed dead, followed by another incident in Gausawa community, Borgu, in September 2025, which claimed 32 lives.
Several other incidents recorded unspecified fatalities, suggesting the actual death toll may be significantly higher than reported. Community leaders and water transport unions estimate that many people beyond what was reported in the news died in boat-related incidents between 2023 and 2025, many of them during market days, religious festivities, or night journeys.
Double tragedy for survivor
Twenty five-year businessman, Muhammadu Nazuli almost died in the tragic boat accident on Oct.1 2024 when the boat was carrying over 200 passengers to Gbajibo in Mokwa town.
“The ill-fated boat had over 200 passengers going for Mawlid celebration. When we started our voyage, it was smooth until we were about to alight. I heard a sound as I was very close to the boat when it was about to capsize.
Like Usman, Nazuli almost drowned as he suffered double tragedy when his boat crashed again after the survivors were transferred to rescued boats.
According to Nazuli, when the boat came, the rescue team transferred them to the new boat. “They transferred some victims into the second boat. The boy and I got the second one and a rope was tied on it to draw us. While drawing the boat as a form of help, we hit the boat that came to save us,” Nazuli said.
“It was after the incident that life jacket was enforced. Now, when leaving from Mubi, the passengers wear life jackets even when returning,” he added.
Despite engine faults, overloading persists
Through extensive interviews with eyewitnesses, The ICIR found that boat drivers charged with ensuring passengers safety merely reduced their load slightly, prioritising their own struggle for survival over full compliance with safety measures.
Mohammed Alhassan, a boat driver who has been conveying farmers since he started working as boat drivers two years ago, told The ICIR that the enforcement team urged them to renew their registration and slightly reduce the number of passengers.
The 20-year-old driver narrated that enforcement officers regularly told them to fix their engines, checking out everything before conveying large passengers to their farms. “They often enforce stickers for us to buy but the registration costs N10,000 and regular checking of boats”, he said.
Before now, boat drivers, according to Alhassan, took overloaded passengers, including about seven motorcycles in a single boat. But due to recurring accidents, the number of motorcycles has now been reduced to five.
“When there are passengers, we don’t even take bikes; we take little number of passengers since the accident happened”, he said, adding that five motorcycles does not amount to overloading.
He stated that the most affected victims over recurring boat mishaps, were male, saying that he had not been a boat driver when the first incident happened.
Abubakar Mahmud, a 28-year boat driver said that his small boat conveys over 32 passengers.
His boat conveys peasant farmers to nearby villages across Niger and Kwara States, charging N300 for each passenger.
“My boat conveys over 32 passengers,” he said, adding, “I registered with the response team. The regulatory body does check on us as they are often stationed at the riverbank.”
Iliyasu Abdullahi, a rescue team member was engulfed with fear when he joined others to recover dead bodies from the water. His independence day celebration on October 1, 2024 was cut short when he was told about the accident.
“On that fateful day a boat accident occurred amid celebration of independence in Gbajibo. It was a sobbing day for the village. The boat capsized and we swiftly moved to the scene but we could not do anything.”
“The next day, I was among the rescue team and recovered lifeless bodies. Twenty four boats were used to search for the missing passengers. On the first day, we got 24 bodies and I could not continue due to fear. I didn’t join them the next day.”
According to him, a similar boat incident occurred in September 2023, where victims, particularly women, lost their lives to the mishap as 26 of them out of 29 were females breastfeeding babies.
“The commissioner of transportation came and promised us life jackets, flying-boats, ambulances and that Marine police would be deployed. Since then, a rule has been set up for them including boat drivers and passengers. We talked to them about the dangers of overloading, but they are ignored. Passengers are part of the causes accidents, and they will tell you that it is their life.
“When NIWA came (after the September incident), they gave guidelines with the Niger State government supporting us with 200 lifejackets. In the October’s incident, 350 lifejackets were provided for us. We shared 150 lifejackets to Mubi village and we took 200”, he narrated.
Enforcement team withdraws
Abdullahi was not well pleased with how the government allegedly neglected the enforcement team in Gbajibo, after working for months enforcing lifejackets by passengers.
“The ream worked for more than five months, leaving their families in hunger and that was how the local regulatory began not to function again”, he explained.
Muhammad Nakubi, the secretary of boat drivers union in Mubi village narrated how his union often organised training for boat drivers plying the river for safety reasons.
The middle-aged-man said that whenever it was cloudy, they advised boat drivers to reschedule their trip, citing that the breeze had caused boat mishaps in the past.
“We show them how they navigate the river to avoid accidents and overload the passengers. When it is cloudy, they should find a place of comfort,” he said, stressing that a life-jacket is made compulsory among them.
“We sit with NIWA to further discuss local ways of preventing accidents, training them on how to ply the river.” He noted that accidents come in many ways, especially wooden boats.
“We have a market leader. When the boat driver overloads, he will return the passenger even when they encountered a breeze along the way. When we see them with overload, we force them to reduce the number,” he said. He commended the government’s effort on the life-jackets provided.
Abubakar Ibrahim, a member of regulatory body of National Inland Water Authority, (NIWA), who spoke to The ICIR said that his union is still enforcing overcrowding of boat passengers.
He said that women were affected in the recurring boat accident but men lead as most victims.
Nearly 900 people died in boat accidents in 2 years
Between January 2023 and October 2025, at least 857 people died in boat accidents across Nigeria, according to The ICIR’s analysis of media-reported incidents. That translates to an average of more than 26 deaths every month, or one fatal boat accident every three weeks, on waterways.
The toll peaked sharply in 2024, accounting for 458 deaths, more than half of the fatalities recorded within the period. In 2023, boat accidents claimed 253 lives, while 146 deaths were recorded between January and October 2025 alone.
State-level data further highlight Niger State as one of the country’s most dangerous corridors for inland water transport. While Kwara State recorded the highest fatalities (about 300 deaths) from just three reported incidents, Niger State followed closely with 189 deaths across 10 separate boat mishaps. The frequency of accidents, particularly around Mokwa, Gbajibo, Shiroro, Borgu and Lapai, suggests that authorities were repeatedly alerted to danger zones but failed to act decisively.
Other states with similar accidents are Kogi, which recorded 68 deaths, and Zamfara and Sokoto with 49 fatalities each.
Gunu mishap: Survivors struggle for life
On July 26, 2025, a boat carrying commodities and passengers capsized in Gunu village of Shiroro area of Niger State while the boat was heading to Kwata-Zumba market.
Sanusi Jagaba who survived the accident, struggled to recount how he survived. Luckily, the 38-year-old fishmonger who resides in Munya area, wore his lifejacket when his boat hit a trees log, tilting his boat before sinking into the deep Shiroro river.
“I truly thank God for how I survived through a lifejacket provided by the authorities before leaving. When we fell inside the water, I was lucky to have the lifejacket on,” he said.
Jagaba now struggles to rebuild his life after losing his capital in the accident. He added that although the boat was not overloaded when the accident occurred, only a few were wearing lifejackets.
Another survivor, Somalia Tanko, in Munya area of Niger State, was pulled out of Shiroro River while heading for his daily market business in Zumba of Shiroro area.
“I was pulled out of the water, but I didn’t know how it happened. We were heading to the market from Kabula to Gwata when our boat collided with a log of tree. I often buy fish then return immediately to resell them. Everything I do for business has perished and life is difficult.
“If there were no life-jackets, more lives would have been lost than recorded. If it wasn’t a life jacket, I would have drowned.”
The tragedy shattered Tanko’s life, leaving him with no savings and forcing him to start again from zero.
Abubakar Dan Maimuna, 38-year old resident of Zumba village in Shiroro area of Niger State, witnessed how bodies of the dead victims were recovered.
Dan-Maimuna was plunged into deep mourning the moment the tragic news reached him, shattering the fragile calm he had managed to hold onto. Surrounded by relatives and neighbours who gathered to console him, he struggled to process the loss, his world thrown into a state of unimaginable sorrow.
“We tried our best to reach the scene. It was a tree that caused the accident as the loggers didn’t completely cut it all. Water covered the log of the tree, the driver never thought the tree was there,” he narrated.
“Now, the regulatory body becomes more serious than before as accidents occur yearly. When the boat drivers ignore warnings, they are severely punished. There was no breeze when the accident happened”, he stated, amidst robbing his palm hands..
Hamza Abdullahi, a 39 – year old resident of Zumba attributed recurring menace of mishap in Shiroro river to negligence. He said, “Before the incident, there was negligence as many people do not have life-jackets and there was excess water.”
He said, “When the incident happened, the commissioner of transportation came immediately the next day to witness all that happened. The accident was because of a tree inside the river and the water swallowed them without knowing the exact spot of the tree.
“The tree broke the wooden bridge and it changed their plan. The passengers began to drop inside the water”, he added, commending the rescue workers. “Immediately, we were mobilized to the area. We witnessed the whole process, and 8 dead bodies were recovered.
“A week before the incident, NIWA officials were here, educating boat drivers and others on the importance of wearing life jackets,” he said. “They also urged the operators to strictly limit the number of passengers each boat should carry.”
Umar Isha, the Sarkin Ruwa (Water Chief) of Zumba, recounted that eight boat accidents had occurred during his ten years as the community’s foremost water overseer. The 50-year-old leader described the grim realities of frequent mishaps on the river, painting a stark picture of the dangers boat users in the area continue to face.
“From 10 years back to now, we have about 8 boat accidents. The casualties within the timeframe should be more than 150 persons as the last incident was caused due to log of tree”, the leader said, noting that his team and government do check on boat drivers.
“The water from the dam was released into the river. Then, its second week, the boat drivers forgot the direction of where the water would be coming from. So they were on top of ravaging water when the boat turned.”
He stressed that neither the breeze nor the cloudy weather triggered the tragedy. Instead, it was a submerged tree trunk that claimed several lives. He appealed urgently for the dangerous tree lodged beneath the water to be cut down before it leads to more deaths.
NIWA decries disregard for safety regulations
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) in September, raised alarm over widespread noncompliance with safety regulations by local boat operators and passengers.
Olawale Adetola, NIWA’s General Manager for Business Development, said many people ignore life jackets and other safety guidelines, putting lives at serious risk during water transportation.
Adetola noted that the agency has continuously carried out sensitisation campaigns to educate boat operators on safety measures.
According to him, life jackets and other protective equipment have been distributed widely, but adherence remained low, and many operators still flout established safety rules.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M