A boat accident in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State has claimed one life, while 39 passengers remain missing after the vessel conveying farmers and labourers capsized.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening at Malamawar Yan Dutse community when a locally made boat carrying more than 40 passengers overturned while travelling across a river.
Confirming the incident on Monday, the spokesperson for the Jigawa State Police Command, SP Shi’isu Adam, said the police received a distress report and immediately deployed officers and other emergency responders to the scene.
“One body has been recovered, while search and rescue operations are still ongoing to locate the remaining 39 passengers who are unaccounted for,” Adam said.
He added that the command was working closely with other emergency agencies and promised that further updates would be provided as rescue efforts progressed.
The Director of Planning at the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency also confirmed the mishap, stating that the passengers were predominantly female farmers and labourers travelling to their farms when the boat capsized.
He noted that the exact cause of the accident had yet to be determined.
“Hands are on deck as combined efforts continue to determine the exact number of those rescued or missing,” he said, adding that casualty figures could not be finalised while rescue operations were still underway.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Ringim Local Government Emergency Management Committee, Habibu Dauda, said local divers and community members had joined emergency responders in searching for the missing passengers.
Dauda appealed to residents to remain calm and avoid circulating unverified information.
“An official update will be issued once rescue operations provide clearer information,” he assured.
Boat accidents are common in parts of northern Nigeria, particularly during the rainy season, with overloading, failure to use life jackets and strong water currents often identified as major contributing factors.
