LATEST EPISODE IN NIGER’S SEASON OF BOAT MISHAPS [Culled from the Weekly Trust, on Saturday, 19 April 2014] Written by Aliyu M. Hamagam, who was in Limfa Kuso Boat mishaps, which usually claim scores of lives, have recently become synonymous with Niger State, through which runs one of Nigeria’s largest body of waters, the River Niger. Weekly Trust takes a look. Penultimate Saturday, tragedy struck in Gbamache village, with the death of five young men, including a female teenager, in a boat mishap. The incident happened while the victims were trying to cross River Egah in Edati LGA of Niger State. In their early thirties, the victims left Gbamache village on said day to attend a naming ceremony in neighbouring Dankoji Village. The deceased had set out for the journey as early as 7am to grace the ceremony but ended up in the cold hands of death. Natives say the river is about 30 meters deep and eyewitnesses testified that the operator of the boat reportedly lost control after the boat hit a rock and capsized. The victims, unable to swim, drowned while the driver, the only survivor, swam to safety. The victims were buried in Limfa Kuso, by the river banks where they perished, according to local tradition. Weekly Trust visited families of the bereaved in Gbamache village. Usman Mohammed, an elder brother to Late Baba Mohammed Liman said his younger brother had no premonition that he was going to die and set out for the journey hale and hearty. “It is unfortunate that the young man had to die in such circumstances. He was a fellow that was cherished by all in the family.” Also, Sheshi Mohammed, an elder brother to Late Abubakar Isa said before his late brother left home, he told him about the arrangement with his other friends to visit one of their friends in the neighbouring community for a naming ceremony. He said it least didn’t occur to him that it was their last conversation. Ndagi Mohammed, who is also the elder brother to Late Jibrin Mohammed, said he was absent from the village when the tragedy occurred, but immediately he received a call informing him of the death of his younger brother, he came back home. “The search team, who were from the community where the naming ceremony took place, conducted the search in our presence,” he said. “The corpses were retrieved and buried along the three others earlier recovered in accordance to Islamic rites, by the site of the river that they were drowned,” he added. Mohammed told Weekly Trust that locals of the area revealed to him that an accident of such magnitude was not a usual occurrence in the area, as the last occurred about 15 years ago, with only two dead. Ahmed Mohammed Gbamache, an uncle to late Yakubu Abdullahi, was upset at the failure of the boat operator in coming to condole them five days after the incident. He also added that apart from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), no government agency has come to condole with them. “We are yet to hear from the state and local government council.” The Niger State police Command spokesperson, ASP Richard Oguche, confirmed the incident. Last year alone, not fewer than 40 persons were drowned in different boat mishaps in the state. The first happened on River Niger close to Malilli village in Borgu Local Government Area claiming the lives of 22 passengers on board, mainly traders. The victims were said to be returning from Malili village back to their village, Tunga Illo across the River Niger, after a market day. Six days after, another boat mishap occurred on the same river, leaving18 persons dead. The boat was conveying people from the Thursday Market of Kokoli to Ulakami when tragedy struck. The boat was said to be conveying about 80 persons. The spate of the boat mishaps led Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu to announce a ban on the operation of old boats, ferrying passengers across the River Niger. “This is to ensure that old and rickety boats do not continue to kill valuable lives in the riverine communities,” he said. [Culled from the Weekly Trust weeklytrust.ng/index.php/new-news/16291-latest-episode-in-niger-s-season-of-boat-mishaps] Picture: Not of the actual event.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 09:38:53 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015