A tragic boat mishap has struck the Gumu village area of Shiroro Local Government Area in Niger State, leaving at least 25 people feared dead after the vessel capsized while transporting passengers to a local market.
According to local authorities and eyewitnesses, the overloaded boat was en route to the Monday market when it overturned in the early hours of the day. Most of the passengers on board were women and children from surrounding riverine communities.
Efforts to rescue survivors have been hampered by poor access to the scene and the presence of armed criminal gangs operating in the region, which has long suffered from insecurity and limited government presence.
“The situation is dire,” said a local rescue official who asked not to be named for safety reasons. “We are doing all we can, but the fear of attacks is limiting our ability to conduct full-scale search and recovery.”
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Officials from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed the incident, adding that search and recovery operations are still ongoing, and the casualty figure may rise as more bodies are recovered.
The Niger State Government has expressed shock over the incident and pledged to assist families of the victims, while also calling for improved security in the area to enable safer transport and emergency response.
This tragedy adds to a growing list of boat-related accidents in Nigeria’s inland waterways, raising fresh concerns over safety regulations, enforcement, and the state of rural transport infrastructure.
Further updates will follow as more information becomes available.