The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has confirmed a boat accident involving no fewer than 200 market women from Kogi State.
The Head of the Media Department of NIWA, Suleman Makama, who confirmed the incident on Friday, stated that the women were on their way to the market in Niger State on Friday morning when the boat capsized along the Dambo-Ebuchi section of the River Niger, resulting in an as-yet-uncertain number of fatalities.
“It’s true that there was a boat mishap on Thursday involving quite a number of women going to the market in Niger State. We are still investigating to ascertain the number of people involved as well as what led to the accident,” he said.
According to eyewitnesses, the boat, which belonged to one Musa Dangana, was carrying over 200 passengers, including market women and farm laborers, en route to the Katcha weekly market in Niger State.
As of the time of this report, eight bodies have been recovered, while search and rescue operations continue to locate the remaining passengers.
Makama indicated that he is still waiting for clearance from management before issuing an official statement that will provide further details about the incident.
When asked how long that would take, Makama said he couldn’t provide a specific timeframe but promised to get back to our correspondent as soon as possible.
