A family of 16 was among the 30 lives lost in a boat accident that occurred on Sunday in Gbajibo community, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.
The tragic incident was confirmed on Monday, September 11, by the acting Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, Garba Salihu, who said that the number of casualties had increased from 24 to 30.
He said that the victims were on their way to their farm when their boat hit a submerged stump in the water.
One of the survivors, Hajia Kashi Mokwa, who lost 16 members of her family, including her daughter, grandchildren and relatives, narrated her ordeal to Daily Trust.
She said that they were devastated by the loss and appealed to the government to assist them. She said that boat accidents were becoming too frequent in their area and that they needed more life jackets and safer boats.
“We are in deep pain and sorrow. How can we cope with losing 16 members of our family at once? It is a huge disaster for us. They were all going to farm across the river when the boat hit something under the water,” she said.
Continuing, she said, “The water level is high now because of the heavy rains, so we can’t see what is under the water. We need the government to help us in this difficult time. If they want to send us any relief materials, they should come directly to us. We don’t have enough life jackets for our people. It is not true that we don’t want to use them. The ones that the government gave us are not enough.
“We have no choice but to cross the river to go to our farms. That is our only source of livelihood. We can’t access our farms without using boats. We beg the government to help us for Allah’s sake.”
A total of 30 bodies have been recovered, most of which were women and three male children.
