Thirty-seven traders have died after an overloaded boat capsized on Thursday evening on the Gbajibo-Mudi River, bordering Kwara and Niger states.
According to Sunday PUNCH the victims were returning home to Niger State after attending the weekly market.
The boat, designed to carry about 100 passengers, was dangerously overloaded, and sources said the overflowing river contributed to the accident.
Mahmoud Gbajibo, a former chairman of Kaiama Local Government, confirmed the tragedy in a telephone interview with the newspaper, saying, “The boat accident occurred at about 6 pm on Thursday.
“The traders closed from the market in Gbajigbo Mudi and were returning to their various communities in Niger state when the tragic incident occurred. 37 corpses were recovered from the river while many others were rescued from the river.
The cause of the accident can be attributed to overloading of the boat while the water volume also contributed to it. Right now, the chairman of the local government and the Emir of Kaiama are in Gbajigbo Mudi community to sympathise with the people.”
The Chairman of Kaiama Local Government, Abubakar Abdullahi, and the Emir of Kaiama, Alhaji Muazu Omar, visited the community to console the bereaved families.
Attempts to obtain comments or updates from the Kwara State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, went unanswered.