The incident occurred on Tuesday around 4:30pm in the Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.
A tragic boat mishap on the River Niger has left scores feared dead, with many victims reportedly lying lifeless beneath the waters, while several others remain missing.
The incident occurred on Tuesday around 4:30pm in the Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.
According to Vanguard quoting an eyewitness, James Otoga, who recounted the horror of the accident, the ill-fated boat, fully loaded with passengers, had departed Onugwa community in Ibaji en route to Ilushi market before it capsized midway.
“The boat was fully loaded with our people going to market for the first of October celebration. Only five survivors have surfaced yet and 20 bodies have been recovered so far and more of our people are lying lifeless beneath the River Niger,” Otoga lamented.
He added that the tragedy also claimed the lives of mourners who had attended a burial in Onugwa and were returning to Ilushi.
“Even those who came for a burial in Onugwa and were returning back to Ilushi were also missing. We are yet to confirm the number of people onboard and those who survived,” he stated.
The Chairman of the Ibaji Local Government Area, Ugeh Emmanuel, described the disaster as the most devastating in the council’s history.
Speaking in a telephone conversation with journalists, he said the true scale of casualties remained uncertain.
“As I am speaking with you now, nobody can authoritatively say this is the actual number of casualties. And again we cannot even ascertain the number of people onboard right from their departure time.
“This is a very serious accident; the boat had not even reached Ilushi when the mishap occurred around 4:30pm.
“Most of the victims were moving to Ilushi for the cerebration of first October which has been a tradition in the community before they met their untimely death,” he said.
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