No fewer than twenty-two people are reportedly missing following a tragic boat mishap in Niger State.
Punch Headlines reports that the boat from Kasabu village in Agwara Local Government Area of the state to Yauri, Kebbi State, capsized on Monday morning.
The Director-General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Salihu Garba, confirmed the incident to pressmen in Minna, the state capital, yesterday.
Garba explained that the agency was informed of the boat mishap, according to him, a survivor of the incident said that the boat had about 22 passengers on board.
He added that search and rescue operations were ongoing by the local divers and boat owners under the supervision of the agency’s desk officer in Agwara.
The NSEMA boss explained that no passenger has been recovered yet, adding that the incident happened on Yauri market day.
Garba added that only after the market would families be able to declare their missing relatives. He explained that it takes about 24 hours for any drowned person to surface atop the water.
He attributed the cause of the incident to water hyacinth coupled with strong waves.
Meanwhile, the state Governor, Ahmed Idris, in another development, appealed to the affected families to accept it as the will of God in good faith and prayed to Almighty Allah to grant the deceased persons Jannatul Firdaus.
“I want to urge you to see what happened as the will of Almighty Allah that nobody can question, therefore, accept it in good faith. We should also continue to pray to Allah to forgive their shortcomings and grant them Jannatul Firdaus,” he prayed.
