The Kogi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Timothy Ojomah, confirmed on Wednesday that 15 more bodies were recovered from the boat accident in the Ibaji Local Government Area, bringing the official toll to 35.
However, nearly 20 more passengers remain unaccounted for.
“As of this morning, 15 corpses were recovered, whilst almost 20 persons/corpses are yet to be accounted for. Between 80 and 82 persons were in the boat, and 46 were rescued immediately,” he stated.
The ill-fated boat, which was reportedly packed with traders and locals traveling for the October 1 celebrations, left Onugwa hamlet in Ibaji on its route to Ilushi market before capsizing on the River Niger.
According to James Otoga, a local farmer, many of the victims were also returning from a burial in Onugwa.
“The boat was fully loaded with our people going to market for the October 1 celebration. Even those who came for a burial in Onugwa and were returning to Ilushi were missing. We have yet to confirm the exact number of survivors and casualties. Only five survivors have surfaced so far, and many of our people are still lying lifeless beneath the river,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency issued a separate report on Thursday, claiming that 24 passengers had been rescued, 14 bodies had been retrieved, and 42 people were still missing.
In a post on X, NEMA said that the disaster occurred about 5:40 p.m. on September 30 when a boat carrying approximately 80 passengers capsized along the Onugwa-Olushi route.
It was noted that community divers were assisting official rescue teams, with operations being coordinated with the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, the Local Emergency Management Committee in Ibaji, the Civil Defence Corps, the National Inland Waterways Authority, the Fire Service, the Red Cross, and local responders.
NEMA’s Director-General, Zubaida Umar, deployed personnel to support the rescue, while the agency’s Abuja operations head, Zakari Abubakar, visited the Onugwa traditional ruler, Chief Patrick Arome, to console the community.
The agency emphasized the importance of strict adherence to safety rules, including mandatory use of life jackets and adherence to passenger limits on boats.
