At least 54 bodies have been recovered following a devastating boat accident on River Niger involving approximately 200 traders in Kogi State.
The update was provided on Saturday by Justin Uwazuruonye, Head of Operations for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Kogi State.
Uwazuruonye said, “The figure of the recovered bodies as of today (Saturday), according to the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross, and NEMA is 54. They were recovered dead.
“We tried to know if they could make the manifest available, but they said there was no manifest, and if there is no manifest, we can’t say the exact number of passengers on the boat. Besides, it was a night journey, and none of them had life jackets on.”
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) confirmed the incident, which occurred on Friday.
According to Suleman Makama, Head of NIWA’s Media Department, the traders were traveling to a market in Niger State when the boat capsized along the Dambo-Ebuchi stretch of the River Niger.
