The incident was said to have occurred when some of the villagers were heading to Dnaweto, a neighbouring village in the hinterland for a christening around 4 pm on Sunday, December 26, 2021.
No fewer than seven persons were said to have been killed in a boat mishap that occurred in Zhigiri village of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The incident was said to have occurred when some of the villagers were heading to Dnaweto, a neighbouring village in the hinterland for a christening around 4 pm on Sunday, December 26, 2021.
Among the victims were four members of the same family –a man, two of his wives and his young son, Tribune reports.
The spokesman for the Coalition of Shiroro Association (COSA), Malam Salis Sabo, confirmed the tragedy on Tuesday.
He added that as of the time of filing this report on Tuesday in Minna, the state capital, one corpse had not been recovered from the river.
Sabo said, “We, therefore, call on HYPPADEC to as matter of urgency, respond to this devastating incident and provide safety measures (such as life jackets among others) to help our people adapt to their new way of life and to also prevent the future recurrence of this ugly incident as done by the commission to the Warra Community of Kebbi State in the recent boat mishap that occurred.”
Meanwhile, there are reports from Bogoro local government area of Bauchi State that at least four people have been reported killed as a result of road accidents that occurred between Sunday and Monday night.
The report indicated that on Sunday, a commercial motorcyclist named Nenfort, a resident of Jangyar village lost his life in a motorcycle accident when he was taking his sister to Gyara.
The sister whose wedding was slated for today, Tuesday, December 28, had a broken leg.
Though she is bedridden, her wedding went ahead on Tuesday as planned.
A friend of the deceased, James, said, “That Sunday morning I spoke with Nenfort to take me to Lafiya Sara but he reluctantly declined pleading that he wanted to go to church. I understood and let him go.
“I was at home when a friend told me about the accident and I could not stop sorrowing. May your soul rest in peace, Nenfort.”