At least 25 people have been confirmed dead following a canoe accident in Nguru Local Government Area of Yobe State, while 13 passengers were rescued alive and 14 others remain missing.
The incident occurred around 7:48 p.m. on Saturday when a canoe conveying 52 passengers capsized along the Nguru waterway while travelling from Adiyani town in Guri Local Government Area of Jigawa State to Garbi community in Nguru LGA, Yobe State.
Eyewitness accounts and preliminary investigations revealed that the passengers were returning from Adiyani, where they had engaged in fishing, farming and other commercial activities, when the boat overturned mid-journey.
Confirming the incident, the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency Mohammed Goje, said the agency received a distress call shortly after the accident and immediately mobilised rescue teams.
“We can confirm the unfortunate canoe accident that occurred along the Nguru waterway,” Goje said.
“Preliminary information available to the agency indicates that 52 persons were on board before the canoe capsized, resulting in several fatalities, successful rescues and a number of passengers still unaccounted for.”
He added that search and rescue operations were ongoing, with support from multiple agencies and local volunteers.
“Our rescue teams from Bade and Nguru Local Government Areas have been deployed and are working closely with security agencies and community volunteers to locate the missing persons,” Goje stated.
“We are committed to ensuring that everyone is accounted for, while survivors are provided with the necessary medical and humanitarian assistance.”
As of the time of filing this report, 13 passengers had been rescued and taken for medical treatment, while 25 bodies had been recovered from the water.
Authorities said efforts had been intensified to search for the remaining 14 passengers still missing as investigations into the cause of the accident continue.
