Four family members drown as boat capsizes in Niger

Four family members have drowned after a boat they were travelling in capsized in a river in Zhigiri village, Shiroro LGA of Niger state.

Salis Sabo, spokesperson of the Coalition of Shiroro Association (COSA), confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday.

Sabo said eight passengers boarded the boat from Zhigiri to Dnaweto village to attend a naming ceremony when the incident occurred at about 4pm on Sunday.

According to him, seven out of the eight passengers who boarded the boat drowned, while one woman survived the mishap.

He said one Muazu Babangida drowned alongside his two wives and his son.

Sabo also said the corpse of one more person who had been declared missing was recovered on Tuesday evening.

“Seven persons have lost their lives in a boat mishap in Zhigiri village of Shiroro local government area,” he said.

“The mishap occurred when the villagers were heading to Dnaweto — a neighbouring village in the hinterland — for a naming ceremony at about 4pm on Sunday evening.

“Prior to the construction of Zungeru dam, travelling between these two villages was by land and not water transportation, as the terrain was majorly dry and motorable. This is one of the social upheavals occasioned by the construction of the dam.

“Among the victims who lost their lives was a man, two of his wives and his young son. That family was wiped off!

“We, therefore, call on HYPADEC 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 and to also prevent the future occurrence of this ugly incident as done by the commission to the Warra community of Kebbi state on the recent boat mishap that occurred.”