The Nigeria Police Force, Kogi State Command, has arraigned two men, Musa Dangana and Yakubu Dangana, before a Lokoja Chief Magistrates’ Court over their alleged involvement in a fatal boat accident that claimed 19 lives.
According to the prosecutor, Gabriel Otowu, the incident was reported to the police on December 23, 2024, by Titus Adoga, the Area Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). He stated that the defendants, who co-owned a commercial wooden boat, transported 60 passengers from the Kupa area of Lokoja Local Government to Kacha Market in Niger State on November 29, 2024.
Despite repeated warnings on safety measures, they allegedly failed to provide life jackets and ignored weather conditions before embarking on the journey. The boat struck a submerged log, capsized, and led to the drowning of 19 passengers, whose bodies were later recovered.
Following a police investigation, the two men were arrested and charged with conspiracy and negligence. They both pleaded not guilty during their arraignment.
Their defense counsel, Zakari Useni, applied for bail, citing relevant provisions of the Criminal Justice Law of Kogi State. The presiding judge, Chief Magistrate Abdullahi Musa-Mopa, granted them bail in the sum of N100,000 each, with a surety of equal amount. The surety must be a civil servant on Grade Level 14 and reside within the court’s jurisdiction.
The case was adjourned to March 20, 2025, for further hearing.