The boat was loaded with 90 people, including women and children, who were going for a condolence visit in another community.


The cause of the accident was known to be overloading and a collision with a tree stump, however the passengers were not wearing any lifejackets when the boat capsized.

An anonymous source in the state’s Ministry of Transport, who pleaded anonymity because he did not have any permission to speak with the media, disclosed that the boat passengers were not wearing lifejackets, pointing out that if they were wearing them, more people would have been rescued.

“Borgu is very far, and a lot of these passengers do not like to wear the lifejackets for reasons best known to them,” the source said.

As of the time of filing this report, 29 corpses had been recovered, with 50 persons rescued, while two people are said to be still missing.

The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NESMA, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed the accident, saying a search and rescue operation was still ongoing.

Recall that Niger State experienced its first boat accident in July 2025.

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Source: Punch