Govts grieve as 103 people die in the Kwara boat tragedy

A boat accident in Egbu village, in the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, claimed the lives of at least 103 wedding guests, including a father and his four children.

According to Metro, the victims were returning from a ceremony in the village of Egboti in Niger State when their boat crashed on Monday in the Patigi LGA.

SP Ajayi Okesanmi, the spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, responded to the development by stating that the tragedy resulted in the deaths of 103 people and that the names of the rescued victims would be made public.

An update on the boat accident in Patigi, which resulted in the deaths of 103 people but left others alive. Okesanmi stated that the survivors’ names would be made public as soon as they became available.

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However, in an exclusive interview with one of our correspondents, Ibrahim Bologi II, the traditional ruler of Patigi, stated that 110 people had been killed.

He added that a search and rescue operation was ongoing to locate the remaining victims and that the boat was carrying approximately 217 passengers.

The customary ruler said, “The most recent improvement currently is that an all out number of 110 individuals have kicked the bucket in the mishap. It was a boat conveying around 217 individuals. The search is currently being joined by locals, and it will continue until tomorrow.

Mohammed Liman, Chairman of the Transition Implementation Committee for the Patigi Local Government Area (LGA), confirmed the monarch’s claim that 110 people perished in the accident, which caused untold agony for locals.

Liman cited a statement made by a community leader, Alhassan Mohammed, regarding the tragic incident, which read, “About 110 people died in the boat accident in our area.” We are relating the tragic event and enduring memory that befell my family members from Ebu, our village, and other nearby villages.

“Our town individuals went to a wedding service in one more town called Gboti and the boat conveyed around 270 individuals and very nearly 110 individuals were lost.

“The record for every town incorporates Egbu, 61, Dzakan, 38, Kpada, four, Kuchalu, two, and Sampi, three. This is a tragedy that will live long in our village’s memory.

Likewise, sources locally, who addressed one of our reporters, gave subtleties of the departed casualties to incorporate 69 people from Egbu town, 36 from Gakpan town and four from Kpada town in the Patigi LGA.

Emergency responders who were carrying out the search and rescue operation were said to have found at least 50 dead bodies as of the time this report was written.

In an exclusive interview with one of our correspondents, however, the Area Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority in charge of the Niger-Kwara areas, Akapo Adeboye, attributed the boat accident to overloading and choppy winds.

He additionally said the organization had been instructing boat administrators to stop from over-burdening boats with travelers.

Adeboye stated, “This is a very sad situation that was avoidable because the operators overloaded the boat.” They overcrowd their boats because they want to make more money.

We’ve sent them messages in English, Hausa, and other local languages to educate them, but they won’t listen. We even set up a safety unit, and whenever we catch a defaulter, we punish them with fines of up to N10,000.

“Most of them (operators) just choose to adopt the easier way out by traveling at night just because they want to avoid our monitoring and safety patrol from being arrested. Despite all our efforts to ensure that they comply with safety standards that they must have life jackets, lifebuoys, and other safety equipment on board,”

In the mean time, the Kwara State Lead representative, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in an explanation by his Central Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, sympathized with individuals of Patigi on the staggering misfortune.

“The governor is saddened to hear about the boat accident that killed several people, especially people who live in Ebu, Dzakan, Kpada, Kuchalu, and Sampi, all in Patigi.

“The lead representative sends his sincere sympathies to individuals of these networks and those from different states. He petitions All-powerful Allah to rest the spirits of the people in question,” the assertion said.

Mohammed Bago, the governor of Niger State, also reacted, offering his condolences to the families of the deceased and urging boat passengers to always wear their life jackets when traveling.

“We are looking at the accident as an act of God, and we pray to God to grant them eternal rest and give the family the fortitude to bear the loss,” he stated through Ibrahim Bologi, his Chief Press Secretary.

“Because they were given some life jackets, we are appealing to the riverine communities to always wear them. They ought to wear them every time they travel.”

In response to the incident, Segun Akande, Vice Chairman of the Red Cross Society in Lagos State, stated, “It is naturally and professionally risky to get on any sea transportation without any safety.”

He stated, “Even when you have a life jacket on, there can still be a little problem because when it happens, there can still be a phobia that people will just capsize, and it is only when you know how to swim and protect yourself that you can be balanced on that water.” This is because when it happens, there can still be a phobia that people will just capsize.

“There must likewise be a lifeline or jumpers on a ship. That is superior to simply providing each individual with a life jacket. Even if you are wearing a life jacket, professional divers—those who are capable of entering the water and saving people—should still be present.

“This is significant on the grounds that upsetting is the risk of going on water. There’s no method for transportation without gambles. There must be lifeguards and a life jacket available for use when traveling on water.

Ige Oladimeji, the Disaster Coordinator for the Red Cross in Lagos State, made the observation that there was no awareness of the significance of safety in remote communities.

“They always believe that they can swim or that nothing will happen to them,” he stated. Everyone must be required to wear their safety jackets while on water, and the law needs to be made clear and enforced.