Nigeria Boat Accident Claims Over 60 Lives in Niger State

• Sep 04, 2025

At least 60 people have lost their lives in a tragic boat accident in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State. The vessel, carrying more than 100 passengers, capsized on Tuesday morning after hitting a submerged tree stump in the Gausawa community of Borgu Local Government Area.

According to Abdullahi Baba Ara, chair of Borgu LGA, the official death toll had risen to 60 by Wednesday. He added that ten survivors remain in serious condition while rescue efforts are still underway for others feared missing.

The boat had left Tungan Sule village in Malale district and was heading to the nearby town of Dugga for a condolence visit when disaster struck around 11 a.m. local time (1000 GMT). Witnesses said the vessel became unstable after colliding with the hidden tree stump, throwing passengers into the river.

Sa’adu Inuwa Muhammad, district head of Shagumi, said he arrived shortly after the incident. “The boat carried more than 100 people. We were able to recover 31 corpses from the river. The boat was also recovered and removed,” he explained. Muhammad noted that many of the victims were women and children.

Boat accidents are not uncommon in Nigeria, where overloading, poor maintenance, and hidden obstacles in waterways contribute to frequent tragedies. Many rural communities rely heavily on boats for daily transport, often traveling long distances across rivers and lakes in the absence of reliable road networks.

This latest disaster has once again highlighted the risks faced by passengers who depend on water transport in the region. Emergency teams, along with local volunteers, continued recovery operations into Wednesday, searching for more victims.

Authorities have not released an official passenger list, making it difficult to confirm exactly how many people were onboard at the time of the accident. However, reports from community leaders suggest the number exceeded 100, raising fears that the final death toll could climb even higher.

As families mourn the loss of loved ones, calls are growing for stricter safety measures on Nigeria’s waterways, including better enforcement against overcrowding and the clearing of dangerous obstacles like tree stumps. For now, Borgu district remains in grief as recovery efforts continue.