10 Farmers Perish In Kebbi As A Boat Capsizes

A boat carrying approximately 100 farmers overturned on Tuesday in the Koko/Besse Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing 10 of them and leaving another ten still missing. DSP Nafiu Abubakar, the state police command’s spokesman, acknowledged the event and promised to provide more information later.

Yahaya Bello, the local government chairman, who also confirmed the event, claimed it happened on Tuesday night when a rickety boat transported more than 100 rice farmers to Samanaji, a riverine town in the area, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday. He said 80 of the boat’s occupants had been saved, ten bodies had been discovered, and others were still missing.

The council had already issued 20 new boats to prevent future accidents, he added, adding that efforts are being made to ensure the remaining casualties are retrieved. The state’s police spokesperson, Nafiu Abubakar, also acknowledged the development. Several reported fatal boat accidents have occurred in Kebbi state throughout the years. TheCable published a story in May 2021 about how a boat capsized in Warra, the state’s Ngaski LGA’s administrative center, killing over 80 persons.

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, grieved the loss of 20 Kebbi rice farmers who perished in a boat accident on Tuesday night in the State’s Koko/Besse Local Government Area. This was stated in a statement by the National President, Arc Kabir Ibrahim, who also expressed sympathy to the survivors and families of the deceased.