Boat mishap: Sixteen villagers drown while fleeing terrorist attack in Niger

From Ogundele Olanrewaju

At least sixteen persons have allegedly died in a boat mishap on the river Kaduna at Bodo village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State

It was gathered the sixteen villagers from Sayita village were among many others that fled from terrorist attacks in Munya local government area of the state on Wednesday morning.

They were said to be travelling in three locally made boats moving towards Zumba town in Shiroro local government area when the accident occurred.

Eyewitness accounts said the terrorists over 100 in number stormed Sayita village today and out of fear the deceased villagers decided to flee for safety on the three wooden boats to Zumba.

The source disclosed that during the journey, one of the three boats carrying about thirty passengers capsized having hit a rock, efforts by the other travellers in the two other boats could only rescue fourteen.

It was further learnt that as the other travellers tried to bury the 14 corpses, they sighted the terrorists coming and abandoned them.

The head of the local divers in Zumba known as Sarkin Jirgi, when contacted told DAILY POST that eight bodies comprising six children and two women have been recovered from the river.

Confirming the incident, the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency NSEMA Ahmed Ibrahim Inga said a search and rescue operation has commenced to rescue victims.