Aisha Mohammed lost three daughters in a boat disaster which killed over 100 people in Kwara state three years ago

🌐 Here's What Happened

Many die in a boat accident; officials say the regulations should be followed; their calls are ignored; campaigners say the resources are not available; another tragedy happens.

This time, a search-and-rescue team is looking for survivors of a capsized wooden canoe in Jigawa state.

Forty were thought to be on board, mostly female farmers and labourers, when it sank on Sunday. Twenty-three people have been rescued alive but seven bodies have been recovered from the river so far.

📌 Key Details

Last month, a boat accident on the River Benue in central Nigeria claimed the lives of 12 people, including a pregnant woman and six children.

Earlier this year , 14 people lost their lives when their boat capsized in Gumbi, Kebbi state. They had been returning from a wedding ceremony, accompanying the bride to her new husband's home.

So far this year, more than 55 people have already lost their lives in boat accidents, with dozens of bodies yet to be recovered.

For millions of Nigerians, particularly in rural areas, rivers are the most practical means of transport. With many villages on or close to waterways and few bridges and poor roads to aid travel, rickety wooden boats are often the only way for people to reach family members elsewhere, to take goods to market, or to see the outside world.

For people like Isiyaka Bello, the painful memory of losing someone to water is still fresh. Last year, his wife was returning from a village market in Kebbi state when she and eight others lost their lives.

"It seems like just yesterday. She left behind four children, and I am still struggling to adjust to raising them on my own.

📰 Source: BBC Africa