JUST IN: One person killed, 18 rescued in Jigawa boat mishap 

One person has died, and another is missing as a boat carrying traders capsised on Sunday in Jigawa State. According to the police spokesperson in the state, Lawan Adam, 20 traders were travelling from Kwalgai in Auyo Local Government Area to neighbouring Hadin in Kaugama council when the boat capsised. Mr Adam said local divers and the police rescued most of the victims after responding swiftly to a report of the accident. “The rescue team was able to rescue eighteen (18) passengers alive, while two (2) female passengers were still searching”, Mr Adam said. He said one of two missing persons, identified as Habiba Ado,18, of Kwalgai community, was later alive but died at a hospital in Auyo. The police spokesperson said preliminary findings revealed that the accident was primarily caused by powerful waves and overloading that led to the driver losing control of the canoe. “Efforts were being intensified to rescue the remaining missing woman while the rescued victims were all rushed to the hospital for medical attention,” the police spokesperson said.

Tragedy As Two Children Die In Niger Boat Mishap

Two children have been confirmed dead while two others sustained various degrees of injuries in a boat mishap that occurred in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger. The Overseeing Director-General of Niger Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) /, Alhaji Salihu Garba, disclosed this in Minna on Saturday. He said the incident occurred on Friday at about 6pm when the boat engine caught fire due to a mechanical failure and inflamed a gallon of petrol stored inside the boat. He said that 145 passengers were in the boat, adding that they were from Danbo community in Kogi. Garba disclosed that the passengers were on their way back from Katcha Market when the incident occurred. He said that the body of one of the deceased children had been recovered while the search for that of the second missing child was still ongoing.

Boat Mishap: Gov Otu indefinitely suspends activities at Marina Resort

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu in further response to the cruise boat mishap involving 14 medical students at the Marina Resort on Saturday, has ordered the suspension of cruise operations and other activities at the resort. The order was given in a statement signed by Mr Emmanuel Ogbeche, Chief Press Secretary to the governor on Monday. The accident occurred on Saturday at about 3pm when it was ferrying 14 medical students from different tertiary institutions in the nation. The governor had earlier ordered an investigation into the incident in which  11 of the 14 students who were in Calabar for their Annual Health Week were rescued and three feared dead. ”All cruise operations and other activities at the Marina Resort is hereby suspended immediately until further notice. “Operators of cruise boats and management of the state’s Tourism Bureau are directed to attend a meeting in the office of the Secretary to the State Government on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. “Besides the cruise boat operations, the State Ministry of Transport is to immediately cross check the safety standards and conditions of all boats operating in Calabar waterways,” he said. The governor also appealed to the police to speed up their investigations of the fatal boat accident and prosecute those culpable. In an interview with newsmen, Ejim Egba, National President of the Nigeria Medical Students Association, (NiMSA) accused the management of the resort of negligence, incompetence and lackadaisical attitude. He said that the engine of the boat had gone off in the middle of the river and water started entering the boat which caused it to start sinking and finally capsized. “Factors that contributed to the mishap included a leaky boat, poor condition and integrity of the vests, poorly maintained engines resulting in the engine going off during the trip. ”Also, their was little or no supervision by Marina Resort management as well as poor regulation and monitoring”, Egba said. Some medical students had converged in Calabar, for the annual NIMSA Health Week and, as part of the activities, decided to visit the resort, where some embarked on a boat cruise. The Cross River State Government had said earlier that it would sanction officials of the Marina Resort found culpable of having compromised on safety standards over the cruise boat mishap.