Survivors of Tuesday’s boat mishap in Gwajibo community in Niger State have given conflicting accounts of how the disaster occurred.
One of the survivors, Malam Ismail Ibrahim, said the boat gave them warning signals before the disaster occurred.
Other survivors, who spoke through their community leader, said the accident was caused by a windstorm following a heavy downpour.
Ibrahim told LEADERSHIP Weekend that they received dangerous warning signal twice before the boat they were travelling in capsized.
He said he used a jerrycan to swim out of the river to safety.
“We took off around 6 pm on Tuesday. We were going to Gwajibo community on the other side of the river for Maulud Nabbiy celebration. At a point during the journey, we received a signal that there was a mistake on the loading of the boat. We immediately alerted the owner of the boat of the disturbing signal that we received. The boat just started taking water inside. We appealed to all of us in the boat that we should be calm. Then, we started packing the water out of the boat. Sensing danger, we started throwing some jerrycans out of the boat for people to swim out of water in case of any eventuality. This is what saved me.
“The incident happened mystically. The signals came twice and before we realised what was happening, the boat started taking-in water. The boat suddenly sank. It’s God that saved my life. I used a jerrycan to swim out of the river.
“You need to be on lifejackets while traveling on water. Unfortunately, there was no single person in that boat wearing a lifejacket; they don’t like using lifejackets. If they had used lifejackets, the casualty figure would have been less. It’s imperative to use life jackets; we have to educate people on the importance of wearing life-jackets”.
The second account of the survivors as recovered bodies hit 93 Other survivors attributed the cause of the accident to a windstorm that was followed by a heavy rain during their journey from Mundi, through old Gbajibo in Kwara State.
The survivors who are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital under close monitoring of the authorities spoke through Mohammed Tauheed, one of the community leaders, on how the accident happened.
Tauheed said they recounted briefly to them how it all started with the windstorm that distorted the direction of the boat that hit a log under the water. He said some of the survivors were still in shock of the incident hence they could not recollect anything vividly beyond the heavy windstorm that was followed by rain.
Dantala Mohammed who was involved in the rescue process however decried non-adherence to safety rules and regulations guiding the operation on waterways.
He said the accident was made fatal by overloading, night travels and the refusal of the operators of the boat to provide the passengers with lifejackets as instructed by government.
At least 169 people were feared dead in the incident as the ill-fated boat reportedly had about 300 passengers on board. Only 93 bodies had been recovered from the river as at the time of this report.
The 300 victims were residents of Gwajibo Mudi community in Kaiama local government area of Kwara State who were crossing the river to the neighbouring Gwajibo community in Niger State to attend a religious event.
Meanwhile, the PRO of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) Ibrahim Hussaini and the chairman of Mokwa local government council, Jibrin Muregi confirmed that the number of dead bodies recovered has reached 48 and they have been buried in accordance with Islamic rites.
In a show of sympathy, the National Hydro Electric Power Producing Areas Commission (N-HYPPADEC) has paid a visit to the community to ascertain the root cause for the commission’s intervention
The managing director, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, expressed sadness over the unfortunate accident and disclosed that the commission is working assiduously in collaboration with National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the affected state governments to curtail incessant boat mishaps along the inland waterway
He said, from preliminary reports, the accident was caused by overloading and water waves, insisting that non-usage of lifejackets by the passengers despite the fact that the commission provided them some after the last boat mishap, called for concern.
The managing director, represented by the director of operations, Engr Iliyasu Abdullahi, however reiterated that the commission would not relent in providing lasting solutions; using the ventilation provided by the window of inter-agencies’ collaboration.
The Ciroma of Kaiama, Abubakar Omar said, “The boat was overloaded and just about 1 kilometre to the other end of the river, the boat capsized. We want government to come to our aid and provide standard boats for transportation in this area”.
The member representing Kaiama/Kemaji/Wajibe constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdullahi Dan-Baba said, “This calamity is unprecedented. Though it’s an annual occurrence, this latest occurrence is of high magnitude. I want to appeal to the Kwara State government and NIWA to provide a ferry here for the use of our people. Ferry is safer for travelling on the river”.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the riverine community have blamed the high casualty recorded in the incident on the failure of the victims to use lifejackets during the journey.
They claimed that no single person in the ill-fated boat used a lifejacket despite their availability as lifejackets were recently donated to the community by the Kwara State government.
The stakeholders who agreed that there is the need for the concerned authorities to embark on enlightenment campaign for the people to realise the importance of wearing life-jackets while traveling on water, appealed to the government and Nigerian Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) to provide ferry for the use of the people in the area to ensure the safety of lives of those travelling on the water.
The chairman of Kaiama local government area, Mal Abdullahi Abubakar, described the incident as saddening and unfortunate.
Meanwhile, the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola has commiserated with the Niger State government and families of those who died in the recent boat accident on Gbajibo River, in Niger State, urging boat users to stop night trips.
The minister, who warned boat users to avoid night travels and over-loading, urged them to ensure that they put on their lifejackets before embarking on any journey however short.
According to the minister, night traveling and over-loading “are the major causes of avoidable deaths on our water”.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Ismail Omipidan, the minister who noted that all hands must be on deck to put an end to boat accidents, further urged boat users to adhere strictly to the water transportation code.
“I am aware that NIWA embarked on an advocacy campaign recently, warning against the rising water tide, night travelling, over-loading, and the use of lifejackets, including deploying its water marshals to help enforce the transportation code”, he said.
The minister also charged the National Inland Waterways Authority to enforce the code to the latter so as to significantly standardise water transportation, minimise accidents and provide a structured environment for potential investors.
The minister also urged the state governments, especially the littoral states, to brace up to the inevitable responsibility of cooperation and collaboration with NIWA, “with a view to putting an end to the incessant accidents on our waters”, declaring that all hands must be on deck to put an end to boat mishaps in the country.
