At least 11 people, including a pregnant woman and six children, were feared dead after a boat conveying mourners from a burial ceremony capsized on River Benue in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
A local source, identified simply as Daniel, said the incident happened on Saturday night.
Speaking in a telephone interview on Sunday, Daniel said the victims were returning to Daududawadawa community, an island settlement located behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering Barracks in the North Bank area of the state capital.
He explained that the boat, which had about 40 passengers on board, overturned mid-river between 7pm and 8pm during a heavy downpour accompanied by a windstorm.
Confirming the incident, the Commander of a local vigilante group, Operation Shara (Sweep) in North Bank, Nura Umar, said the victims were returning from the burial of a woman from their community in Wadata.
Umar said, “The deceased woman had been taken to a private hospital in North Bank on Saturday morning where she later died, and the relatives and sympathisers from the island community decided to take the remains to Wadata for her burial.
“After the burial, they boarded a boat to cross back to Daududawadawa community. At about 7pm, heavy rain and strong winds started and the boat capsized halfway into the journey.
“There were over 40 passengers aboard the boat, but 11 were feared dead. We have recovered four bodies so far and buried them, while divers are still searching for the remaining victims.”
He also disclosed that one of the survivors lost her baby during the tragedy, despite strapping the child to her back at the time of the accident.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had yet to receive any report on the incident.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Makurdi Local Government, Joseph Keffi, were unsuccessful as his phone line was unreachable.
The tragedy comes about six months after the state government promised stricter safety measures to curb recurring boat accidents on waterways across Benue State.
In January, the government, through Friday Har, Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, launched an enforcement initiative mandating safety standards, including compulsory use of life jackets for passengers and boat operators.
