A tragic canoe mishap has reportedly left no fewer than 40 people dead, largely women and primary school pupils, after a wooden canoe overturned in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State on Sunday.
The Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) confirmed the incident on Monday, describing it as one of the worst boat disasters witnessed in the state in recent years.
Police officials disclosed that one body had been recovered as of the latest report, while search-and-rescue personnel continued operations to retrieve other victims believed to have drowned.
The victims were said to be heading home after school when the overcrowded canoe capsized. Although the precise cause of the incident has not yet been officially determined, authorities have commenced an investigation.
Director of Planning at the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency, Muhammad Bala Sanusi, said emergency workers, local divers and community volunteers were making sustained efforts to recover those still missing.
“The search operation is still ongoing, and we will continue until every missing person is accounted for,” he said.
The disaster has left the affected communities in grief, with bereaved families waiting anxiously along the riverbank as rescue personnel searched for their loved ones.
The incident has again drawn attention to the increasing risks linked to water transportation in many rural communities across northern Nigeria, where rivers remain a major mode of transportation, especially during the rainy season.
Experts have consistently attributed recurring canoe mishaps to overloading, lack of life jackets, weak enforcement of safety regulations and the continued use of ageing wooden boats.
The latest tragedy has revived calls on governments at all levels to improve water transport safety measures, enforce passenger limits, provide life-saving equipment and strengthen emergency response along inland waterways to prevent further loss of lives.
