Twenty-seven people have been confirmed dead following a tragic boat accident that occurred on Tuesday in Gausawa, along the Malale–Kainji Lake route in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to eyewitness accounts, the incident occurred at approximately 11:49 a.m. The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) rescue team arrived at the scene around 1:33 p.m.
The ill-fated wooden boat, carrying 138 passengers, capsized along the Shagunu–Dunga stretch of Kainji Lake. Rescue efforts, led by NIWA, resulted in the successful recovery of 46 men, 58 women, and an unspecified number of children—many of whom were saved due to the use of life jackets.
Sadly, 27 bodies have so far been recovered—eight on Monday and 19 on Tuesday.
NIWA’s Niger-Kwara Area Manager, Akapo Adeboye, confirmed that the sunken boat has been removed from the water, while search and rescue efforts continue.
The operation is being coordinated by the NIWA New Bussa Substation Office, in collaboration with NIWA River Marshalls, the Nigerian Shipowners Forum on Waterways (NIGSBOFWA), security agencies, and local community leaders. According to officials, this joint effort aims to enhance passenger safety and prevent similar incidents.
Community leaders and boat operators in the region have pledged to support NIWA in enforcing water safety protocols.
This latest tragedy adds to the rising number of fatal boat accidents in Nigeria.
In August, over 40 people were reported missing after a boat carrying more than 50 passengers to a market capsized in Sokoto. Only 10 were rescued, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
That same month, at least 16 farmers drowned when a wooden canoe capsized in Sokoto while ferrying them to their rice farms.
On July 29, six girls died when a boat returning from farm work capsized in Jigawa State. Just two days earlier, another accident in central Niger State claimed the lives of at least 13 people.
