More than 800 people including women and children have died in different boat accidents across Northern Nigeria in the last four years, Wikki Data reveals.
The accidents which occurred at different waterways mostly located in rural areas are major means of intercommunal transportation in riverine communities to access markets, farms or even healthcare facilities in the areas.
However, WikkiTimes observes that outdated boats, poor maintenance, unpredictable weather conditions, overloading and carefree attitude of operators, are common sources which made many boats to have become deadly with a cumulative death toll of 816 in seven states in the last four years.
WikkiTimes found that Niger, Taraba, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi and Kano have had different levels of boat accidents that destroyed many lives from 2020 to 2024.
Niger State reported over 400 deaths, with 150 each in 2021 and 2023, and over 100 more in 2024. Kano has 44 deaths, while Adamawa recorded more than 27 deaths across three distinct incidents. Taraba’s death toll exceeds 160, distributed among three separate incidents.
Kebbi State has at least 70 deaths, with 40 in 2023 and 30 in 2021. Sokoto State suffered over 82 deaths, with figures from four separate incidents. Bauchi State’s reported deaths stand at 33, with 15 in May 2020 and 18 in November 2020.
A recent incident of such incidents occurred at Kauranmata village in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State claiming four lives and six still missing. The incident happened on Tuesday evening when the victims were returning from Karfi town in Kura LGA where they worked as local rice processors.
This comes barely week after a similar incident on the Dundaye River in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State, resulting in the loss of 25 lives, mostly women and children, from approximately 40 passengers the boat was carrying.
Also, in May 2023, another tragic incident occurred when 17 girls out of about 40 children drowned after their boat capsized in the Dandeji River in Shagari Local Government Area. The children were on their way to fetch firewood when the accident occurred.
Earlier, in October 2022, at least 14 people drowned when an overloaded passenger vessel capsized in the Shagari Local Government Area. This was followed by another tragic accident in April 2022, when at least 26 people died after a boat capsized in the Shagari River.
Waterways Catastrophes in Niger
Niger State has witnessed the deadliest boat accidents in the last four years recorded at least 400 deaths. On May 26, 2021, a boat carrying between 150 and 200 passengers capsized while travelling from Lokon Village in Minna to Warrah Market in Kebbi State. The tragedy resulted in over 150 confirmed deaths.
Less than two years later, on June 13, 2023, another boat carrying passengers from a wedding party capsized, claiming the lives of at least 150 people. The boat was en route to Kwara State when it encountered trouble, with many passengers still unaccounted for. The cause of the accident remains unknown, adding to the anguish of the victims’ families.
In January 2024, Niger State suffered yet another tragedy when a boat carrying over 100 passengers capsized in Borgu Local Government Area. The vessel, which departed from Dugga Mashaya in Dugga Ward, was heading to Wara Market in Kebbi State. It was heavily loaded with goods and grains in addition to the passengers.
Kano State
A recent boat accident in the state was on Tuesday at Kauranmata village in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State claiming four lives and six still missing.
In November 2021, at least 40 people, mostly women and children, were reported to have lost their lives in Badau village, Bagwai local government area of Kano state following a boat mishap.
In 2007, several passengers also lost their lives in a similar incident in the local government.
Adamawa State
Adamawa State recorded three boat accidents occurring within just eight days, claiming the lives of over a dozen people. The first incident, on September 4 2023, involved a canoe traveling between Mayo-Ine and Mayobelwa in Mayobelwa Local Government Area, which floundered, killing two passengers.
Just four days later, another canoe accident occurred, this time involving 23 traders and farmers travelling from Rugange Village to Yola Town via the Njuwa Lake at Dandu Village. Fifteen people drowned in the incident, with the survivors left traumatized by the experience.
As if these two tragedies were not enough, a third accident struck on September 11, as rescue workers were still searching for the missing from the previous accidents. A boat carrying dozens of passengers capsized following strong winds in Gurin, Fufore Local Government Area. While local divers managed to rescue 11 people, many more remain missing, their fates unknown.
Taraba State
Taraba State has also faced a series of deadly boat accidents, most notably on October 28 2023, when a boat capsized along the Mayo-Renewo-Karim Lamido waterway in the River Benue. The accident claimed at least 20 lives, with more bodies likely unrecovered.
In November of the same year, another tragic incident occurred when over 70 fishermen lost their lives in a boat accident between Chinkai and Anyeci in Wukari Local Government Area. The fishermen were travelling in the early hours of the morning when their boat capsized, plunging them into the river’s unforgiving waters.
This accident came just two weeks after another boat capsized, killing 70 people. The victims were traders traveling from Mayo Renawo Fish Market in Ardo Kola Local Government Area to Karim Lamido in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area. The rapid succession of these accidents has left the state in a perpetual state of mourning.
Kebbi State
Kebbi State has also been the site of numerous boat accidents, including a particularly deadly incident in October 2023 when a boat carrying over 50 passengers capsized in Yauri Local Government Area, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 people.
In May 2021, another accident occurred when a boat carrying over 150 passengers sank, resulting in at least 30 confirmed deaths. The incident served as a stark reminder of the ongoing dangers posed by water transport in the region.
Bauchi State
Bauchi State has also witnessed its share of boat accidents, with one of the most tragic incidents occurring in May 2020. In that accident, about 15 people were killed when a crowded canoe capsized in Gwaskaram Village, Bauchi Local Government Area.
Six months later, in November 2020, another accident claimed the lives of 18 people, including 15 young girls, when their canoe capsized in Buji River. The girls were on their way to a farm when the accident occurred, leaving their families devastated.
A media report revealed that at least 936 people died in water accidents in Nigeria within three months.
Common Causes
A Professor of Transportation in the Lagos State University, Samuel Odewunmi, blamed overloading as a major cause of boat mishaps and the operators’s engagement in activities that predispose them to accidents like consuming hard substances.
“There is the issue of overload. In most of those boats, the operators carry more than their normal capacity. We normally have many of them that are overloaded. So, with the smallest turbulence, the boat just capsizes.
“The second reason is the condition of those boats. If you go into history, there were cases when the engine just stopped midstream. This happens when there is high tide. In most of our rivers, the current is so high and when this happens, the boat starts drifting, and the next thing that will follow is capsizing.
Reacting to a boat mishap in Niger State in 2023, Akapo Adeboye, the Area Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority for the Niger-Kwara region, attributed it to overloading and turbulent winds. “This tragic incident could have been avoided, as it was caused by the operators overloading the boat in a bid to make more money,” he said.
He noted that despite disciplinary measures and efforts to educate operators in multiple languages, including English and Hausa, many continue to disregard safety warnings. “We have established a safety unit and impose fines of up to ₦100,000 on violators. However, despite our efforts to enforce safety standards, including the mandatory use of life jackets, lifebuoys, and other safety equipment, many operators evade our monitoring and patrols by traveling at night,” he added.
Muhammad Sulaiman, the head of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, identified overloading, neglect of adverse weather conditions, and the failure to use life jackets as key factors contributing to the accidents. He added that the government is actively working to implement safety measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Legal Perspective
Marcellus Onah, a Lagos State-based legal practitioner, criticized both state and federal government agencies for failing in their responsibility to ensure safety on the nation’s waterways.
He argued that the government has no valid excuse for its inability to protect lives, stating, “The claim that the government cannot police all waterways is simply unacceptable. If water transport is deemed necessary, then the government must deploy all required resources and regulatory tools to ensure its safe operation.”
Onah also dismissed the notion that regulatory agencies cannot compel people to wear life jackets as a weak excuse, urging them to take their responsibilities seriously, as “life is too precious to be wasted so easily,” he stressed.
Despite the mounting death toll, efforts to enforce safety measures remain inadequate, leaving families shattered and communities in perpetual mourning.
