103 guests coming from wedding die in Kwara boat accident

No fewer than 103 people, including a father and his four children, who were returning from a marriage ceremony, lost their lives in a boat accident at Egbu village, in the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State,

The victims perished on Monday when the boat that was transporting them capsized.

The spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, said 103 people died.

Okasannmi said, “The names of survivors will be made public as soon as they are available.”

However, the Transition Implementation Committee Chairman, Patigi LGA, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Liman, said that about 110 passengers reportedly died in the accident.

Liman, while quoting from a statement by one Alhassan Bala Mohammed, a community leader in the area, said, “About 110 people died in the boat mishap in our area.

“Our village people went to a wedding ceremony in another village called Gboti and the boat carried about 270 people, and 110 people were lost.”

Liman said from their record, 61 villagers from his village, Ebu, died in the incident; 38 from Gakpan; four from Kpada, two from Kuchalu and one from Sampi.

Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Bologi II, the paramount ruler of the area, confirmed the incident.

The state governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, had issued a message of condolences to the relatives of the victims.

The incident happened on Monday when the victims were returning from a marriage ceremony at neighbouring Egboti village in Niger State.

It was also gathered that there was a river wave which took the boat and hit it against a tree, leading to the boat capsizing and throwing many people into the river.

Sources attributed the accident to the overloading of the boat, adding that the boat capsized during the return trip from the venue of the marriage ceremony.

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Mai-Martaba Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, described the boat accident as unfortunate and disheartening.

The Emir spoke in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesman, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona.

“Our hearts and prayers are with you at this auspicious moment and may Almighty Allah give you all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss this incident might cause you”, the Emir said.

He prayed to Allah to grant the deceased eternal rest with mercies and forgiveness and give their loved ones the fortitude to bear the great loss.