At least 27 people have died in a tragic boat accident that occurred on Tuesday along the Malale–Kainji Lake route in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The wooden boat, which had 138 passengers on board, capsized at around 11:49 am in the Shagunu–Dunga stretch of Kainji Lake.
Rescue teams from the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) arrived at the scene around 1:33 pm and were able to save 46 men, 58 women and an undisclosed number of children, many aided by life jackets.
So far, 27 bodies have been recovered, eight on Monday and 19 more on Tuesday, according to Akapo Adeboye, Manager of NIWA’s Niger-Kwara Area Office.
“The boat has been removed from the water, but rescue efforts are ongoing,” Adeboye confirmed.
The search and rescue operation is being led by NIWA’s New Bussa Substation, with support from River Marshalls, Nigerian Shipowners Forum on Waterways (NIGSBOFWA), security personnel, and local community leaders. Authorities say the coordinated effort is helping improve water safety in the region.
This latest incident adds to a growing list of fatal boat accidents across Nigeria.
In August 2025, more than 40 people went missing after a boat carrying over 50 passengers to a market capsized in Sokoto State. Only 10 survivors were rescued.
In August 2024, 16 farmers drowned when their canoe capsized en route to rice fields in Sokoto.
On July 29, 2024, six girls drowned in Jigawa State after a boat taking them home from farm work sank midstream.
Just two days earlier, another accident in central Niger State claimed at least 13 lives.
