At least 32 people have died after an overloaded boat struck a submerged tree stump and capsized on the River Niger in Nigeria’s northern Niger State, officials said.
The wooden boat, carrying about 100 passengers including women and children, was heading to a nearby village in the Borgu area on Tuesday morning when it went down. The passengers were reportedly traveling to pay their respects to the family of a deceased relative.
Abdullahi Baba Ara, spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Niger State, confirmed the death toll and said more than 50 people were rescued, while eight others remain missing. “Perhaps the water marshals were not on duty when this boat took off,” he told BBC Hausa, adding that investigations were underway.
Local officials said recovery efforts began immediately after the accident. “I was at the scene yesterday around 12 pm until 4 pm. The boat carried more than 100 people. We were able to recover 31 corpses from the river. The boat was also recovered and removed,” Sa’adu Inuwa Muhammad, a district head, told Reuters.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing as authorities continue to retrieve bodies from the river.
Boat accidents are a recurring tragedy in Nigeria, often linked to overloading, poor regulation, and lack of safety measures. Just last month, about 25 people went missing after a similar mishap in Sokoto State. In December, 54 people were killed when a boat carrying more than 200 passengers capsized on the River Niger.
Despite regulations requiring passengers to wear life jackets, enforcement remains weak. In February, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, launched a Special Committee on the Prevention of Boat Mishaps in Nigeria. The ministry later announced the distribution of 42,000 life jackets across 12 riverine states.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) also rolled out a safety campaign earlier this year with the slogans “No Life Jacket, No Travel” and “No Night Travelling”, targeting Niger and Kwara states, both of which frequently record deadly accidents.
Niger State, Nigeria’s largest by landmass, relies heavily on waterways for transport, as they remain one of the fastest and cheapest options for communities along the River Niger.