Over 200 Passengers Missing As Boat Capsizes Near Niger 

…Local divers recover 8 bodies

An unspecified number of persons have died following a boat mishap which occurred in the early hours of Friday along the Dambo-Ebuchi sections of the River Niger boundary between Niger and Kogi States.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Ibrahim Useni confirmed the incident to our Correspondent, saying, “The incident happened in Kogi state and not in Niger state”.

However, the boat which belonged to one Musa Dangana, according to eyewitnesses was carrying over 200 passengers, including traders and farm labourers, en route to the Katcha weekly market in the Katcha Local Government Area of Niger state.

Eyewitness report has it that the boat capsized throwing all on-board into the water and rescue efforts are currently underway, with local divers working to recover the bodies of the victims.

It would be recalled that a similar boat accident occurred on the Muwo Gbajibo River in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State on October 1, 2024, resulting in the loss of many lives.

Unconfirmed reports have it that eight bodies have been recovered, while search and rescue operations continue to locate the remaining passengers.

Our Correspondent gathered that, none of the passengers wore life jackets at the time of the accident, which may have contributed to the high number of casualties even though the Niger state government had warned that all boat passengers must wear a life jacket.