At least six students returning to school are feared to have lost their lives after a wooden boat capsized in the Buruku River, Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State.
Diaspora Digital Media gathered that the incident occurred on Monday night when the boat, which was conveying passengers across the river, overturned midway into the journey.
Local sources said the boat was heavily overloaded, a factor believed to have caused the accident.
According to an eyewitness, a maritime worker who spoke on condition of anonymity, passengers had earlier delayed their trip to allow politicians returning from a church thanksgiving service in Logo Local Government Area to be ferried across the river first.
The witness said the delay forced the remaining passengers, including the students, to travel at night.
“Nightfall caught up with the passengers, and the boat eventually left with a large number of people onboard,” he said. “Midway into the journey, the boat capsized because of overloading. Most of the passengers were rescued, but six students drowned. Five bodies have been recovered so far, while one person is still missing.”
Another eyewitness corroborated the account, blaming the incident on gross overloading. He claimed the boat was carrying more than 45 passengers in addition to vehicles.
A relative of one of the victims, Pastor Jethro Moor, said the deceased were students from Gbeji in Ukum Local Government Area who were travelling back to Gboko to resume school. He disclosed that the boat was also transporting two vehicles loaded with food items and over 20 passengers at the time of the mishap.
“The weight was too much for the boat,” Moor said. “With the ongoing bridge construction, the navigable path has become narrow, and the boat could not remain stable under such a heavy load.”
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Raymond Zege Aondoakura, said security agencies were handling the situation and that rescue teams were still searching the river.
He declined to give details on the number of casualties, saying further information would be available after police investigations.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Dennis Iyaghigba, expressed concern over the tragedy, describing it as a reminder of the dangers associated with unsafe and unregulated river transportation.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Lubem Gena, the commissioner said a full investigation had been launched to determine the immediate and underlying causes of the accident, including possible violations of safety regulations.
He also extended the state government’s condolences to the families of the victims and the Buruku community.
The spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, said the command was yet to receive a formal report on the incident.
Buruku River serves as a major crossing point linking Buruku to other local government areas such as Logo and parts of Ukum, as well as neighbouring Taraba State.
Despite repeated promises by successive administrations to construct a bridge across the river, commuters still rely heavily on boats for transportation.