Boat mishap claims 5 in Niger

Five persons have reportedly died in a boat mishap on Egah River in Edati local government area of Niger state at the weekend.
The boat was said to have capsized after hitting a rock moment after it left Gbanchi village for Sofanla Village in the fast flowing Egah River at about 2:30 pm on Saturday.

The five persons were said to have drowned before help could get to them.
Our correspondent gathered that villagers and fishermen in the area had been making frantic efforts to recover their bodies.
Malam Iliyasu Gamb, who witnessed the incident, said the passengers would not have drowned if they had worn life jackets, adding that “this is why we could not even save their lives.”

The state government had told passengers and operators of boats and ferries to use life jackets whenever they were travelling, but that the people ignored the directive.

Police Public Relations Officer in Niger, ASP Richard Oguche, confirmed the accident, saying that the police had dispatched its marine personnel to the area to assist in the recovery of the remains of the drowned passengers.
He named the victims to include Baba Mohammed, Abu Yaba, Audu Saidu, Jibrin Mohammed and Aisha Usman.