Boat mishap claims four in Niger

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

Recovery has been made of no fewer than four bodies, including that of the deceased paddler of a boat which capsized on Sunday evening at Tagwai Dam, in Chanchaga Local Government area of Niger state.

Findings revealed that the fifth person on board missed death narrowly by the whiskers as he was rescued alive by local divers.

Our reporter gathered that the incident occurred on Sunday evening after two siblings: Hajiya Sani 21 years, Habida Sani 14 years in the company of a close relation, Haruna Umaru 37 years, including a five year-old baby girl, Fatimah Sani allegedly asked the deceased paddler, Usman Karma 26 years, to take them around the area.

The deceased paddler was also said to be an indigene of Tagwai Village, while the immediate or remote cause of the boat mishap was yet unknown as at the time of filing this report, yesterday evening.

Investigation revealed that three of the victim, which included the five year-old Miss Fatima were Children of one Alhaji Ado Kontagora a resident in the village and were said to have earlier on the fateful day came to the Dam site with their own private vehicle with a view of going for a picnic around the area.

An insider Police source who craved for anonymity told our reporter yesterday at the Homicide section of the State Criminals Investigations Department (SCID) Minna that Tagwai Dam, which is some kilometers away from Minna, the state capital, was not yet a tourist centre.

The source added that it was a risk for anyone to make any such dangerous adventure, stressing that the victims were supposed to have embarked on such on board of a speed boat instead of a rickety canoe, which capsized few minutes after it took-off from Tagwai village, killing four of the five passengers on board.

Meanwhile, the Niger state Police Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Ibrahim Abiodun Gambari has confirmed the incident, in a brief interview in Minna yesterday.

Gambari, a Deputy Superintendent of Police stated further that the bodies of deceased victims of the boat mishap have since been buried by their relations in accordance with the Islamic rights, while advising parents to warn their wards to keep off the Dam site with the view to avert a recurrence of the last Sunday unfortunate incident .