Niger State Police Command have confirmed that 26 bodies have been recovered after a boat with 150 passengers capsized on Wednesday in Tungan Mairakumi village of Burgo Local Government Area of the state.
Police Commissioner Adamu Usman confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Minna, adding that 26 other passengers have been rescued.
“We are still searching for the remaining 98 passengers,” he said.
“On May 26, one Alhaji Garba Wara of Malale village, reported at Marine Police Station, Kainji, that a boat belonging to one Alhaji Dangoma of Malale village conveying 150 passengers capsized on River Niger.
“A joint team of Marine Police and local fishermen was dispatched for search and rescue. Preliminary investigation showed that the boat took off from Tungan Mairakumi village with 150 passengers on board on its way to Warrah market in Kebbi State.
“The boat capsized around Tungan Na-Ilo village and so far 26 persons were rescued and rushed to General hospital in Warrah Local Government Area of Kebbi.”
More than 100 others are still unaccounted for.
Governor Abubakar Sani- Bello of Niger and Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi) have expressed their grief on the incident, and condoled with families of the deceased.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
