Victor Ezeja
Former Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed grief over the death of dozens of persons in a boat accident in Niger State.
In a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, Buhari commiserated with the people and government of Kwara and Niger states over the tragic incident.
Prime Business Africa reports that a wooden boat carrying not less than 300 passengers capsized on the night of Tuesday, October 1, 2024, in the Gbajibo River, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.
About 70 bodies and 150 passengers have been rescued through the combined effort by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the Niger State National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and local divers.
A hundred-plus others are still unaccounted for a few days after the incident. The boat was said to have been overloaded.
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In a message to the states whose citizens were mostly affected, the former president said he was extremely pained by the agonizing boat capsize and that his heart and prayers were for the repose of the dead, and the successful rescue of several dozens of mostly women and children still unaccounted for.
“My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I join the prayers for the rescue of those still missing. May Allah repose the souls of the deceased and grant our prayers for the return of those missing, alive and well, to their families,” Buhari stated.
