At least 20 people, mostly women and children, have been confirmed dead in a boat capsizing incident that occurred on the River Benue on Saturday.
The tragedy took place when a wooden boat capsized near Ocholonya, located in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State. The victims were traders who had attended the Ocholonya market and were on their way back to Odenyi in the Nasarawa Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
A local resident, Adanyi, who witnessed the event, explained, “Saturday was market day at Ocholonya. The passengers, mainly women and children, were heading home to Odenyi when the boat capsized, causing all of them to perish.”
The Agatu Local Government Chairman, Melvin James, confirmed the incident on Sunday, stating, “Yes, there was a boat mishap yesterday. The victims had been at the Ocholonya market and were on their way back to their homes in Apochi and Odenyi communities in Nasarawa State when the boat capsized.”
James noted that while there have been conflicting reports about the number of casualties, with some stating 20 deaths, no bodies had been officially recovered at that time. He also mentioned that local divers had reportedly recovered some bodies, but efforts to confirm the exact number of bodies found had been unsuccessful.
“I’m in contact with my counterpart in Nasarawa State to arrange a visit to the affected families and offer our condolences,” James added. He also mentioned that he had reached out to the Nigerian Navy commander in the area for additional support in the ongoing rescue efforts.
