No fewer than 11 people, including a pregnant woman and six children, are feared dead after a boat carrying mourners capsized on the River Benue in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday evening as the victims were returning from a burial ceremony.
A resident who identified himself as Daniel told journalists on Sunday that the victims were travelling back to Daududawadawa, an island community located behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering barracks in the North Bank area of Makurdi, when the accident happened.
According to him, the boat, which was carrying more than 40 passengers, capsized midway through the journey between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. during a heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds.
The Commander of Operation Shara (Sweep), a local vigilante group in North Bank, Nura Umar, confirmed the incident, stating that the passengers were returning from the burial of a woman from their community.
“The deceased woman was taken to a private hospital in North Bank on Saturday morning, where she later died. Her relatives and sympathisers transported her remains to Wadata for burial,” Umar said.
“After the burial, they boarded a boat to return to Daududawadawa community. While crossing the river, heavy rain and strong winds set in, causing the boat to capsize.
“There were over 40 passengers on board. Eleven people are feared dead. So far, four bodies have been recovered and buried, while search efforts are ongoing for the remaining victims.”
Umar added that one of the survivors had a baby strapped to her back during the journey but lost the child in the accident.
As of Sunday, divers and local rescue teams were continuing search operations along the river.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had yet to receive an official report on the incident.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Joseph Keffi, were unsuccessful, as calls to his phone went unanswered.
The tragedy comes barely six months after the Benue State Government pledged to strengthen safety measures on the state’s waterways following a series of boat accidents.
In January, the government, through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, launched an enforcement campaign aimed at improving water transportation safety.
The measures included the mandatory use of life jackets by passengers and boat operators, among other regulations intended to reduce fatalities from boat mishaps.
