The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has confirmed a tragic boat accident involving more than 200 market women traveling from Kogi State to a market in Niger State. The boat capsized along the Dambo-Ebuchi section of the River Niger on Thursday.
Suleman Makama, Head of NIWA’s Media Department, disclosed the incident on Friday, noting that investigations are underway to determine the number of passengers involved and the cause of the mishap.
“It’s true that there was a boat mishap on Thursday involving quite a number of women heading to the market in Niger State. We are still investigating to determine the number of people involved and the cause of the accident,” Makama stated.
Eyewitnesses reported that the boat, operated by one Musa Dangana, was carrying over 200 passengers, including market women and farm laborers, en route to the Katcha weekly market in Niger State.
As of this report, eight bodies have been recovered, while search and rescue operations are ongoing to locate the remaining passengers.
Makama also mentioned that an official statement providing comprehensive details of the incident would be released after receiving clearance from NIWA management.
This incident highlights ongoing concerns about waterway safety in Nigeria. NIWA’s Managing Director, Mr. Bola Oyebanji, recently addressed the House of Representatives Committee on NIWA during their oversight visit to Lokoja. He identified human errors, drug abuse, and non-compliance with safety regulations as the primary causes of waterway accidents over the past three years.
“Ninety-nine per cent of mishaps on the waterways result from human errors,” Oyebanji stated. He highlighted issues such as operators relying on drugs that impair their judgment and the use of overloaded wooden boats designed to carry far fewer passengers.
NIWA has reiterated its commitment to improving safety standards and enforcing regulations to prevent such tragedies. The ongoing search efforts aim to rescue survivors and recover those still missing from the accident.
