14.6.2026
Eleven persons including a pregnant woman and six children, have lost their lives after being involved in a boat mishap on the River Benue.
According to reports the incident occurred at about 7.pm on Saturday when the victims returning from a funeral got caught up in a heavy downpour while crossing the river from Wadata to Daududawada community in the Makurdi Local Government Area.
“What happened was that we took a sick woman who lived in the community behind NASME to a private hospital in North Bank on Saturday morning, where she later died,” Nura Umar, who is the commander of a local vigilante group Operation Shara.
He further stated that the relatives of the deceased from the community joined them for the burial, which took place at Wadata. After the burial ceremony, they boarded a boat to return to Daududawada because it was a shorter route than travelling by road.
“At about 7 pm, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds started, causing the boat to capsize midway through the journey.
“There were over 40 passengers on board, but 11 are feared dead. So far, we have recovered four bodies and buried them, while divers are still searching for the remaining seven victims,” he said.