Heartbreaking News: 36 Bodies Recovered In Gbajibo Boat Disaster, 114 Passengers Still Lost At Sea

At least 36 bodies have been recovered, with 114 people still unaccounted for following a tragic boat accident that occurred on Tuesday along the Niger River, upstream of the Jebba Dam, in the Gbajibo Community, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.

The boat was carrying approximately 300 passengers, mostly youths from Kwara State, traveling to a Maulud celebration from New Gbajiko in Kwara to Old Gbajiko in Niger when it capsized at around 8:30 PM.

So far, 150 of the passengers have been rescued alive.

Rescue operations, led by the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), the Niger State Ministry of Transport, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mokwa Local Government’s Emergency Committee, local divers, and community volunteers, have recovered 16 bodies on Wednesday and an additional 20 on Thursday, bringing the total to 36 recovered victims.

NSEMA’s Director General, Abdullahi Baba Arah, provided updates, confirming that all 36 bodies have been buried, and efforts are still ongoing to locate the remaining missing persons.

The accident has been linked to multiple violations of waterway regulations, including overloading the boat, using a substandard wooden vessel, operating without life jackets, and sailing at night. Search-and-rescue efforts continue to retrieve more victims from the river.