Nigeria’s inland waterways safety came under renewed scrutiny on Tuesday after another fatal boat accident in Niger State left at least 29 people dead and two missing.
The boat, carrying 90 passengers to a condolence visit in Dugga, capsized in Gausawa, Borgu Local Government Area, after hitting a submerged tree stump. Survivors said the vessel was overloaded, and officials confirmed no passenger wore a life jacket.
Emergency responders recovered 29 bodies while 50 others were pulled out alive. Search teams are still combing the waters for the missing.
Tuesday’s disaster is the second in Niger this year and underscores recurring safety lapses in riverine communities. Despite repeated warnings, enforcement of life jacket use remains weak, and locals continue to resist them.
Analysts say the latest tragedy highlights the government’s failure to enforce inland water transport regulations, despite interventions by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), which distributed jackets last year following a catastrophic accident that killed over 200 people.
For grieving families in Borgu, however, the latest accident is another reminder that preventable tragedies continue to claim lives on Nigeria’s rivers.