Tragedy struck Benue State on Saturday night after a boat carrying mourners back to their community capsized on the River Benue, leaving at least 11 people feared dead, including a pregnant woman and six children.
The victims were returning to Daududawadawa community, an island settlement situated behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME) Barracks in the North Bank area of Makurdi Local Government Area, when the incident occurred.
According to sources, the boat overturned between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. amid heavy rainfall and strong winds that swept through parts of Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The passengers had earlier attended the burial of a woman from their community in Wadata, a suburb of Makurdi, before embarking on the journey home.
Confirming the incident, the Commander of Operation Shara (Sweep), a local vigilante group operating in the North Bank axis of Makurdi, Mr. Nura Umar, explained that the deceased woman had been rushed to a private hospital in North Bank earlier on Saturday but later passed away.
He said members of her family and other sympathisers from Daududawadawa community gathered in Wadata to participate in the burial before boarding the boat to return home.
“What happened was that we took a sick woman from the community behind NASME to a private hospital in North Bank yesterday morning, where she later died. Her relatives came and joined us for the burial at Wadata,” Umar said.
He explained that shortly after the mourners began the journey back to their community, severe weather conditions developed, leading to the accident.
“After the burial, they boarded a boat to cross back to Daududawadawa community. At about 7 p.m., heavy rain and strong winds started and the boat capsized halfway into the journey.
“There were over 40 passengers aboard the boat, but 11 are feared dead. We have recovered four bodies so far and buried them, while divers are still searching for the remaining victims,” he stated.
Umar disclosed that among those feared dead were a pregnant woman and six children from the riverine settlement.
He also recounted the painful experience of one of the survivors, who escaped with her life but lost her child in the accident.
“One of the women survived, but the baby she had strapped to her back was swept away when the boat capsized,” he said.
The incident has thrown the Daududawadawa community into deep mourning, with families anxiously awaiting updates as search and rescue operations continue along the river.
Residents and volunteers have joined local divers in combing the waters for missing passengers, while relatives gathered along the riverbank hoping for positive news.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Council, Mr. Joseph Keffi, for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to him were not answered at the time of filing this report.
Similarly, the Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had not yet received official details of the incident when contacted.
As rescue efforts continue, concerns have been raised about the safety of river transportation in the area, particularly during periods of adverse weather conditions.
The latest tragedy has once again highlighted the dangers faced by residents of riverine communities who depend heavily on water transport for their daily activities and movement between settlements.
