Niger Boat Mishap:14 Bodies Recovered from River Niger

Laleye Dipo in Minna

At least 14 bodies out of the 150 passengers declared missing when a boat conveying 300 passengers capsised in the River Niger on Tuesday have been recovered.

The bodies were recovered by local divers drafted to the river for search and rescue operation Initially 150 passengers in the ill-fated boat were rescued alive.

The boat was said to be conveying its passengers from  Mundi community in Mokwa local government after they celebrated the religious festival of Maulud Nabiyyi at Gbajibo village.

It was claimed that a top religious leader from one of the communities in the area was in the capsised boat.

But the Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Ibrahim Hussaini told THISDAY that: “ For now we are not concerned about the calibre of people, what we  are concerned about now is how to rescue those remaining from the river.” 

It was, however, gathered that majority of those in the capsised boat were from Kwara state.

The Public Relations Officer of the N-Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission(N-HYPPADEC), Alhaji Nura Tanko said officials of the commission have been drafted from Bida to Mokwa to join in the rescue operation. 

Adding that the Managing Director Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa will be in Mokwa  today to assess the situation 

The circumstances surrounding the capsize of the boat are still unknown but it was believed to be associated with overloading.

The boat reportedly capsised at about 8.30pm on Tuesday upstream Jebba dam on the River Niger .

According to a statement by the  Director General of the NSEMA made available to newsmen yesterday, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah, local divers have succeeded in rescuing alive150 of the 300 passengers.

“Thanks to the prompt response from the community volunteers,  over 150 persons have been rescued alive so far” Baba Arah said adding: “The search and rescue operation is still ongoing to locate more survivors.”

“NSEMA is directing and monitoring search and rescue operations in collaboration with the State Ministry of Transport, and Mokwa Local Government Emergency Committee,” Baba Arah said.