Nigeria inland waterways are fast becoming grave yards of poor masses as 29 people have been confirmed dead in another tragic boat mishap at the Malale riverfront in Borgu LGA of Niger State.
A report by Daily Trust says the boat with 90 passengers on board took off from Tugan Sule in Shagunu ward of Borgu LGA and en route Dugga for a condolence visit.
It said the victims included women and children. So far 29 dead bodies have been recovered, 50 people rescued and two still missing.
The Director General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba Arah, confirmed the incident to newsmen.
According to the DG of NSEMA, “NSEMA has received a report of boat mishap incident at a community called gausawa in Malale area/ward of Borgu LGA. According to our desk officer who lead the search and rescue operations, the boat took off from a community called Tugan sule in Shagunu ward with 90 people on board which includes women and children on the boat heading to dugga in for condolence visit.
“The incident happened yesterday, 2nd September 2025 at about 11:30am and the cause was attributed to overloading and collision with a tree stump.
“As at the time of filling this report 29 dead bodies have been recovered with 50 persons rescued alive while 2 people are still missing.
“Search and rescue operations are still on going for possible recovery of missing persons”.
This mishap makes it the fourth in less than a month which had claimed more than 100 lives.
