A boat mishap has claimed the lives of at least 27 people in the Gbajibo community in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The tragedy occurred barely seven months after a similar incident claimed the lives of 100 people in the area.
It was learnt that the boat was carrying passengers returning from a market in Niger State when it capsized.
An eyewitness and survivor of the incident recounted that the tragedy occurred three nights ago while they were returning from Niger State. According to the account, the boat capsized due to overloading.
Although he could not confirm the exact number of passengers on board, he added that strong winds from an approaching storm also contributed to the incident.
The Chairman of Kaiama Local Government Area, Abdullah Danladi, who led a government delegation to commiserate with the victims’ families, stated that the government would no longer tolerate the almost yearly recurrence of such tragedies.
He also announced plans to set up a committee to enforce the use of life jackets, prohibit night travel, and implement other safety measures.
The Emir of Kaiama, Alhaji Muazu Umar, stated that awareness campaigns would be intensified to ensure that passengers and boat operators comply with water travel safety standards.
In October last year, no fewer than 60 people, mostly women and children, were killed in a boat accident in Gbajibo community, a border town between Kwara and Niger states.
The locally made wooden boat, with a capacity to carry 100 passengers, had about 300 people on board when it overturned.
Two days after the tragic incident, President Bola Tinubu mourned the victims of the boat mishap and commiserated with their families.
He directed the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to investigate the spate of boat accidents in Niger and across the country and devise modalities to check the trend.
