No fewer than 37 people have been confirmed dead following a tragic boat mishap that occurred on Thursday evening in the Gbajibo-Mudi community of Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The ill-fated boat, reportedly overloaded with over 100 passengers, was en route to a community in neighbouring Niger State when it capsized at about 6:00 p.m.
Eyewitness accounts and local sources told The PUNCH that the majority of the passengers were traders travelling for commercial purposes. The incident has plunged the riverine community into mourning, with search-and-rescue operations still ongoing.
Chairman of the Kaiama Local Government, Abubakar Abdullahi, and the Emir of the community, Alhaji Muazu Shehu Omar, are currently on the ground coordinating recovery efforts and offering support to grieving families.
This latest incident has reignited concerns over persistent overloading and poor enforcement of waterway safety regulations in the area.
It will be recalled that a similar tragedy struck the same Gbajibo-Mudi village on October 5, 2024, when another overloaded boat claimed over 200 lives during a journey for the Islamic Maulid festival.
The Kwara State Government had then committed N2 million towards covering medical expenses for survivors.
At the time of filing this report, authorities had not yet confirmed the exact number of survivors, but efforts are underway to provide emergency relief and medical attention to those rescued.
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