At least 27 persons have been killed in a tragic boat-related event in the Gbajibo hamlet in Kwara State’s Kaiama Local Government Area. The Accident according to an eyewitness, was caused by overloading.
The catastrophe happened just seven months after 100 local residents were killed in a similar incident.
It was discovered that the boat capsized while transporting people back from a Niger State market.
The tragedy happened three nights ago while they were travelling back from Niger State, according to an eyewitness and event survivor.
Strong winds from an impending storm also played a role in the disaster, he claimed; however, he was unable to determine the precise number of passengers on board.
“The government will no longer tolerate the almost yearly recurrence of such tragedies,” said Abdullah Danladi, the Chairman of Kaiama Local Government Area, who led a government team to offer condolences to the relatives of the victims.
In addition, he declared that a committee would be established to police the wearing of life jackets, forbid nighttime travel, and put other safety precautions into place.
Alhaji Muazu Umar, the Emir of Kaiama, declared that awareness programmes would be stepped up to make sure that boat operators and passengers adhere to safety regulations for water transport.
Recall that a boat accident in Gbajibo village, a border town between Kwara and Niger states, killed at least 60 persons in October of last year, the majority of whom were women and children.
When it capsized, there were perhaps 300 people on board the locally built wooden boat, which could have accommodated 100 passengers.
President Bola Tinubu expressed his condolences to the families of the boat accident victims two days after the awful event.
He gave the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) instructions to look into the recent wave of boat accidents in Niger and around the nation and come up with strategies to stop the trend.
