Twenty bodies have been recovered from the recent boat mishap that happened in Karim Lamido Local Government of Taraba State, while it is recalled that the boat was overloaded with bags of cement, iron rods, food items, animals, and over 100 passengers including children.
Penpushing reports that Commissioner for Special Duties and Social Development, Saviour Noku, in companied of the Deputy Governor Aminu Alkali confirmed this development during a visit to Binneri, the community where the mishap happened.
The Deputy Governor after the condolence visit to the community, said the government has banned night journeys on waterways in the state, stressing that the government will no longer tolerate overloading of boats or canoes, or movement without passenger manifests and life jackets.
Penpushing further reports that Alkali added that the government will investigate the incident to unravel the cause of the mishap and punish culprits accordingly, explaining that the visit was to ensure in preventing similar occurrence
‘Our visit was to ensure three principal issues: to stop overloading, to ensure that there will be no more night travelling and the canoes or boats must have passengers manifest so that whatever happens we can easily identify one’s relations,” he said.
‘They should also ensure they have life jackets for passengers for protection because not all persons can swim. The colossal loss witnessed in the state is regrettable and the government has directed that the barricades be removed within seven days”, Alkali added
Penpushing also reports that, a resident of the community, who preferred anonymity disclosed that more bodies have been recovered but the community leaders resolved to bury them secretly because they fear the state government would accuse them of overloading the boat.
The resident said the boat encountered a barricade two hours after departure and the rider tried all he could do to maneuver the vessel around it but did not succeed, adding that as a result the boat became waterlogged and subsequently capsized.
Penpushing reports that he posited that about 60 passengers drowned while others held on to other passengers who could swim and got to the bank of the river safely, just as another resident said he lost his sister and her baby in the incident.
The resident identified as Suleiman Audu, a businessman said he was at the river bank when the boat took off from Mayoreniyo and was called five hours later that his sister and baby had not arrived at their destination.
‘When I was told my sister had not arrived at her destination, I knew there was trouble so I hurriedly called my friends and we went in search of the boat. We were later informed they did not make it a life’, he said.
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