Twenty more bodies have been recovered from the site of a tragic boat accident that occurred on Tuesday in Niger State.
The wooden boat, conveying approximately 300 passengers from Kwara State to an event in Niger State had tragically capsized at Gbajibo in Mokwa Local Government Area.
Local divers, along with officials from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), have been conducting the recovery operation.
The Director-General of NSEMA, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, was the one to confirm that the total number of recovered bodies has risen to 36, with 16 bodies — 14 males and 2 females — having been found and buried on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, an additional 20 bodies were recovered.
Baba-Arah had made assurances that the search and rescue mission would remain ongoing, as more passengers were still unaccounted for.
Several victims hailed from Kwara State, particularly from Kaiama Local Government Area.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already expressed his condolences to both the people of Niger State and the families of the victims.
A statement from Bayo Onanuga, his special adviser on information and strategy, had revealed that the President was praying for the souls of the deceased and had called for an investigation into the frequency of boat accidents in the region.
More details to come…
