Kebbi: 20 Rice Farmers Feared Dead In Boat Mishap

A boat carrying approximately 100 farmers overturned on Tuesday in the Koko/Besse Local Government Area of Kebbi, and more than 20 farmers were presumed dead.

DSP Nafiu Abubakar, the Kebbi police spokesman, acknowledged the accident and promised to provide more information later.

Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the chairman of the Koko/Besse Local Government Council, confirmed the incident in an interview with NAN on Wednesday.

He claimed it happened on Tuesday night while a rickety boat transported over 100 rice growers to the nearby riverside town of Samanaji.

He said that 80 of the boat's occupants had been saved, while 10 bodies had been discovered and others were still missing.

He gave the assurance that efforts to find individuals who were still missing were still being made.

“Almost all the passengers are youths; small boys and girls. We have found four female and six male corpses.

“We have rescued more than 80 passengers and we are still searching for the missing others,’’ he said.

“Prior to the incident, we had called an emergency meeting with the district head of Dutsin Mari and other traditional rulers and leaders of boat operators in the area.

“The meeting was to enlighten them and warn them against the use of rickety, old boats, over-loading and travelling in the night,’’ the council chairman added.

Bello recalled that the council distributed 20 new boats in 2022 in an effort to forestall boat mishaps in the area.