Published 29th Oct, 2023

Two teenagers lost their lives to a boat accident that happened on Thursday in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

According to reports, the passengers were en route from Olorunsogo area of the community to Isawo when the boat capsized.

After the accident was reported around 8 pm on Thursday, the search and rescue crew of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were able to rescue four female adults in its overnight operations.

When the crew resumed the search in the early hours of Friday, they recovered the bodies of 18-year-old Misturat Okunbanjo and 16-year-old Azeezat Amoo, the two deceased passengers.

Between January and October 2023, different states in the country recorded boat accidents that led to loss of lives.

KEBBI STATE: JANUARY 2023

Ten farmers were confirmed dead after a boat carrying more than 100 passengers capsized in Kebbi State on January 3.

The boat was not only overloaded with passengers but was also rickety. It broke in half as it approached Samanaji village in Koko-Besse district.

BAYELSA STATE: APRIL 2023

On April 6, a boat conveying passengers and goods capsized in Bayelsa State.

Reports revealed that five corpses were recovered in the aftermath of the accident, which occurred while the boat was crossing the Yenegoa-Nembe-Brass waterways.

ZAMFARA STATE: MAY 2023

At least eight people were confirmed dead after a canoe overturned on May 7 in Zamfara State.

Checks by FIJ showed that the incident happened in Albarkawa, Gusau LGA of the state.

The victims, including a woman and seven children, were going to fetch water in a nearby river when the canoe capsized.

SOKOTO STATE: MAY 2023

In the same month of May, a boat capsized on Dundeji River in the Shagari district of Sokoto State.

According to reports, the boat was heading to Dundeji village on May 9 when it capsized in the middle of the river.

Out of the 36 passengers on board the boat, 15 died, while the remaining 21 passengers were rescued. The police said most of the casualties were children.

KWARA STATE: JUNE 2023

On June 12, a boat conveying about 250 passengers capsized and split into two in the Niger River near Patigi, Kwara State.

The boat accident killed more than 106 passengers, most of whom were returning from a wedding ceremony held in Niger State.

CROSS RIVER STATE: JUNE 2023

The bodies of three medical students were recovered two days after a Marina Resort speedboat was involved in an accident near Calabar, Cross River State.

Some medical students had embarked on a boat cruise organised by Marina Resort when waves upturned their boat on June 24.

NASARAWA STATE: AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2023

In August, 12 out of 19 passengers lost their lives in a boat mishap on River Kogi Kungra Kamfani in Arikiya, Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The passengers were said to be going to the farm when the incident occurred on August 19.

Similarly, a boat conveying seven people capsized on River Gidan Buba in Nasarawa on September 4. While five passengers were rescued, the remaining two lost their lives.

ADAMAWA STATE: TWICE IN SEPTEMBER 2023

Between September 8 and 11, two separate boat accidents killed several passengers in Adamawa State.

A boat conveying 23 people capsized in Njuwa Lake, Yola South LGA of the state on September 8, with at least 15 of the passengers feared dead.

Following the September 11 accident that occurred at Kwatan Mallam Adamu, Gurin village in Fufore LGA, eleven passengers were confirmed dead.

About 40 passengers were crammed into the boat in a bid to escape rainfall, but a strong wind and thunderstorm caused the boat capsize on the way.

NIGER STATE: SEPTEMBER 2023

At least 30 bodies were recovered after a boat capsized in a river in Mokwa LGA, Niger State, on September 10.

Over 100 persons were on board the boat, which was conveying passengers to their farms located on the other side of River Niger.

BETWEEN NIGER AND KEBBI STATES: OCTOBER 2023

Four bodies were recovered in the Yauri axis of River Niger following a boat accident in the Agwara and Yauri local government areas of Niger and Kebbi states.

The boat was conveying 34 passengers to Yauri Market on October 2, when it toppled a few metres to its destination.

Although there have been multiple other boat accidents in Nigeria, the incident that happened in Lagos on Thursday was the 13th boat accident to claim people’s lives within this year alone.

Meanwhile, these growing boat accidents have been attributed to overloading, inadequate boat maintenance, engine malfunction, ageing vessels, neglect of safety gear, heavy flooding, heavy windstorm and rains.

In September, President Ahmed Tinubu directed relevant agencies in the maritime sector to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation into recurring fatal boat accidents across the country.

Abimbola Abatta is a reporter with FIJ writing reports in partnership with Report for the World which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.

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