Seven people were feared dead in a boat mishap involving a family returning from a farmland across the River Niger in Yauri Local Government of Kebbi State, Sunday night. Abdullahi Takwa, Chairman of Yauri Boat Builders and Wakilin Sarkin Ruwa (representative of Chief of the River), who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, said the family were returning from their onion farm in Rokubalo, a village about four kilometres across the river. He said a strong wave accompanied by violent wind forced the boat to capsize.
“I just spoke with one of the survivors, who told me that, they were nine in the boat that was struck by ‘strong water wave with strong wind’ while on their way back from the farm, around 6:30pm yesterday (Sunday), he said. Musa Mohammed, Chairman of Yauri Local Government Council, when contacted on phone also said the boat was ferrying nine members of the same family. “The boat was ferrying nine family members, two women and seven men, who were returning from their farmland where they went to plant onions.”
He said two survivors have been found while seven are still missing. “But, so far, we cannot say they are dead or not. What we will do is to declare them missing,” the chairman said. He said water surge released from Kainji and Jaba dam which increased the water level in the river was part of the cause of the tragedy, which also alters navigation and covers stumps under water. A recent report by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that at least 33 Nigerians have died since April this year in three boat accidents on the River Niger in Yauri Emirate of Kebbi State, with two of the mishaps occurring on Wednesday and Thursday last week.
The last two accidents occurred in the area over five months after the Nigerian Senate passed a resolution urging the federal government to urgently implement some measures that could have prevented the accidents.
Source: Premium times
