LAGOS: A boat accident on the Niger River in southern Nigeria has killed at least 26 people, authorities in Kogi State said on Wednesday.
The boat was taking traders to a market in Illushi in Edo State on the other side of the river bank, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, Kogi State commissioner for information, said in a statement on X.
“Reports indicate that the unfortunate incident has allegedly claimed the lives of not less than 26 passengers,” he said.
The national rescue agency, NEMA, told AFP that it had sent teams to the scene.
Accidents are common on Nigeria’s busy rivers, often caused by overloaded boats, poor maintenance or failure to comply with safety regulations.
Last month, a crowded ferry boat capsized in Niger State after reportedly hitting a tree stump, drowning at least 32 people.
In late August, a boat carrying around 50 people overturned in the northwestern state of Sokoto, killing three and leaving 25 others missing.
“We call on our people, especially riverine communities, to always prioritize safety by avoiding overloading and by using life jackets and other precautionary measures whenever they travel by water,” Fanwo added.
Kogi State is particularly vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season, which generally lasts from March to November in the region.
A few hundred kilometers (miles) upstream from the site of the accident, in Lokoja, the Niger River — the third longest in Africa — is joined by its main tributary Benue River.
Several riverside communities were hit by flooding in September.
They included the Ibaji area, where the traders had departed from in the latest boat accident, and which is the region’s rice producing hub.
Heavy rainfall causes the river to flood, making navigation particularly dangerous.
According to local authorities, flooding forced 76,000 people from their homes last year.
Poor infrastructure and inadequate drainage often worsens the impact of floods triggered by heavy rains across Africa’s most populous country.
Scientists have warned that climate change is fueling more extreme weather patterns.
