Disaster struck at the weekend in Niger state when a family of four including a man, two wives and a son along with three other people got drowned in a boat mishap in Zungeru dam.
The family were said to be travelling from Zhigiri village in Shiroro local government area of Niger state to Dnaweto, a neighbouring village for naming ceremony when their boat capsized at about 4pm on Sunday.
The Spokesperson of Coalition of Shiroro Associations (COSA) Salis Sabo confirmed this Tuesday, adding that the body of one of the victims was yet to be recovered.
He said, “Among the victims who lost their lives was a man, two of his wives and his young son. That family was wiped off.”
Although the immediate cause of the accident is not yet known, the spokesperson said the mishap occurred when the villagers were heading to Dnaweto; a neighboring village in the hinterland for a naming ceremony at about 4pm on Sunday evening..
He lamented that prior to the construction of Zungeru Dam, traveling between these two villages was by land and need not water transportation, as the terrain was majorly dry and motorable.
He said, “This is one of the social upheaval occasioned by the construction of the dam. We therefore, call on HYPPADEC to as matter of urgency, respond to this devastating incident and provide safety measures (such as life jackets among others) to help our people adapt to their new way of life.”
