At least 25 people have died after a passenger boat capsized near Gumu village in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State, according to authorities.
The vessel was en route to a local market when it overturned on Saturday, July 26. Ibrahim Hussaini of the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the incident and noted that ongoing search and rescue efforts were being hampered by insecurity in the area, which is largely controlled by Armed gangs. These bandits, whose activities have surged across the region in recent months, have made it difficult for emergency teams and locals to access the accident site, raising fears that the death toll could increase.
This incident adds to a growing list of fatal boat accidents on Nigeria’s inland waterways, particularly in remote areas during the rainy season. Overloading and poor vessel maintenance are often to blame, compounded by a lack of life jackets and weak enforcement of maritime safety regulations. In September 2024, a similar tragedy claimed over 40 lives in Zamfara State, and last year alone, at least 326 Nigerians lost their lives in water transport accidents, according to local media outlet TheCable. Analysts have urged urgent reforms to strengthen regulatory oversight and improve safety standards across the country’s waterways.