Six students feared dead as boat capsizes in Benue community

By Benedicta Aboh

No fewer than six persons, most of them students returning to school, have lost their lives following a tragic boat accident at the Buruku river crossing in Buruku Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State.

Several passengers are also feared missing after the wooden boat conveying them across the river capsized late Monday night.

Eyewitness accounts indicated that the incident occurred at about 11:00 p.m. while the boat was heading toward the Buruku axis of the river.

The vessel was reportedly overloaded, carrying dozens of passengers alongside vehicles, when it sank midway into the journey.

A resident of the area, who witnessed the incident, said the mishap was a result of negligence and failure to observe safety standards.

“The boat was a wooden one and it was carrying both passengers and cars. There were more than 45 people on board, apart from the vehicles. It was clearly overloaded, and that was what led to the accident,” he said.

According to him, about 35 passengers were rescued alive, while six deaths have been confirmed so far, with others still missing. He noted that many of the victims were students traveling back to schools in Gboko and other nearby towns.

“This is a very painful and avoidable tragedy. Unfortunately, we keep witnessing such incidents every year without lasting solutions,” he lamented.

Reacting to the development, the Benue State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Denis Iyaghigba, expressed shock and sadness over the incident, describing it as a stark reminder of the risks associated with unregulated inland water transportation.

In a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Lubem Gena, the Commissioner sympathized with the affected families and the Buruku community, saying, “Preliminary reports suggest that the accident occurred during routine river transportation activities.”

He disclosed that the Ministry has commenced a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the immediate and underlying causes of the mishap. “This will include examining possible breaches of safety regulations, operational lapses, or environmental factors,” Iyaghigba said.

The commissioner added that rescue and recovery efforts have been intensified to account for all passengers involved. “We are committed to a transparent and uncompromising investigation, and appropriate sanctions will be applied to anyone found responsible,” he assured.

Iyaghigba further warned that the state government would no longer tolerate recklessness or non-compliance with safety rules on its waterways.

He said measures would be strengthened in areas such as vessel inspection, operator licensing, passenger sensitization, and monitoring of river transport operations across the state.

Reaffirming the commitment of the Benue State Government under the leadership of Governor Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, the Commissioner stressed that the protection of lives and property remains paramount, adding that concrete steps would be taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

Attempts to reach the Chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Mr. Zege Raymond Zege, were unsuccessful as at press time, while the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, who promised to comment on the incident, had yet to respond.