At least 27 people have died, and more than 100 others, mostly women, are missing after a boat capsized on the River Niger in northern Nigeria on Friday, officials have confirmed.
The boat, carrying approximately 200 passengers, was en route from Kogi State to neighboring Niger State when the tragedy occurred, said Ibrahim Audu, spokesperson for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency.
By Friday evening, rescue teams had recovered 27 bodies, according to Sandra Musa, spokesperson for Kogi State Emergency Services. However, no survivors had been found nearly 12 hours after the incident. Local divers were continuing their search efforts late into the evening.
While the exact cause of the capsizing has not yet been confirmed, local reports suggest the boat may have been overloaded—an all-too-common issue in remote areas of Nigeria where poor road infrastructure forces residents to rely on river transport.
Justin Uwazuruonye, head of operations for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency in the region, reported that rescuers faced significant delays in locating the site of the disaster.
This tragedy adds to a growing number of fatal boating accidents in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, where authorities are grappling with enforcement of safety regulations for water transport.
Overcrowding, poorly maintained boats, and inadequate safety measures, such as the absence of life jackets, have been identified as major contributing factors. Many locally-built boats prioritize capacity over compliance with safety standards, heightening the risks for passengers.
The lack of available or affordable life jackets exacerbates the problem, leaving authorities struggling to enforce their use on these journeys.
Deadly boat incidents remain a significant challenge in Nigeria, raising urgent concerns about the need for stricter safety enforcement and improved infrastructure for safer alternatives to river transportation.
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