11 feared dead as boat returning from burial capsizes in River Benue

It is feared that 11 persons, one of whom is pregnant and another six being children, may have lost their lives following a capsizing of a boat carrying passengers from a burial ceremony on River Benue in Makurdi.

This happened on Saturday night according to a local informer by the name Daniel.

When speaking with reporters via a telephone call on Sunday, Daniel revealed that the dead persons were traveling back from a funeral ceremony to their community called Daududawadawa, which happens to be an island community behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering at North Bank, Makurdi.

Daniel explained that the ill-fated boat that sank with some 40 passengers aboard did so in the middle of the river somewhere between 7 pm and 8 pm in heavy rain and wind storm.

Nura Umar, who is the commander of local vigilantes called Operation Shara (Sweep) at North Bank, verified this incident and stated that the victims were returning from burying one of their members who had died at 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.”

Umar further said that one of the survivors had a baby strapped to her back but lost the child in the accident.

When contacted, the state police command’s spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, said she was yet to receive any report about the incident.

The chairman of Makurdi Local Government, Joseph Keffi, could not be reached as his phone rang out.

This comes barely six months after the state government pledged to enforce rigorous safety measures to address frequent boat mishaps across the state’s waterways.

The state government had, in January, through Friday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, launched a comprehensive enforcement initiative.

Under the new safety guidelines, the government emphasized the use of life jackets for all passengers and boat operators among others.