By WOLE MOSADOMI, Minna

DAYS  after, many are yet to come to terms with the recent canoe tragedy in Niger State as the memory of the loss of several lives still rankles.

It was the last canoe stationed at the other end of the River Niger, ready to ferry the last batch of traders to the popular Malale Market on the fateful day. This triggered off a mad rush to be part of the last trip because the implication was that if it was missed, there wouldn’t be another opportunity to get to the market. Certainly, nobody could stop the passengers from embarking on the trip as they were all desperate to be part of the journey which eventually led to the death of many of them.

Everything about the trip was faulty. The canoe was overloaded. None of the passengers used the life Jacket and balloon provided by the state government for those travelling by sea in the state. In totality, the laws associated with the operation and safety of users of the canoes were ignored and this led to the unfortunate incident.

(Inset) L. Mell Garba – victim & Dauda Dandare -Boat captain

How it happened: The Captain of the canoe, Malam Daudu Abubakar, had been on the job for over 30 years and to him, it was a normal routine for his passengers to board the ferry  and be taken to their destination not minding the hazards and other implications.  Although he has been on the job for several years, he could not categorically tell the number of passengers his canoe could take. His major concern was to make money.

Abubakar told Vanguard Metro, VM, that half way into the journey, he heard a loud noise from the canoe and before he knew what was happening, it (canoe ) broke into two. “Since my over 40years on the job, I have never experienced this type of disaster. I just heard a loud noise coming from the canoe and before I knew what was happening, it broke into two. The next thing I saw were passengers drowning.

“Some were swimming while others who were not good swimmers were sinking. I was  also sinking but luckily, I swam into safety just because I can swim,” the captain of the canoe explained. VM learnt that the canoe hit some trees naturally buried under the river, but Abubakar   attributed the mishap to some strange spirits.

Late rescue

While the passengers were sinking, an alarm was raised by people close to the scene. A distress call was sent to the villagers to assist in the rescue operation. Instead of rushing to the scene of the incident, the local swimmers allegedly decided to consult their gods first, apparently to get its approval before embarking on the rescue mission. These hours of consultations apparently led to the increase in death toll.

VM was informed that only the remains of seven victims were  immediately recovered. The corpses of 17 others were recovered later. Uptil the time of going to press, the actual number of those who boarded the canoe and the exact number of casualties have not been ascertained. Unconfirmed sources, however, alleged that no fewer than 70 persons boarded the ill-fated canoe.

The Niger State government, however, said that only 26 people died in the mishap. The government further explained that their corpses have been recovered. A breakdown of the casualties, according to the government, shows that 20 were adults, while six were children. Majority of the victims were said to be women. The deceased included the Ward Head of the village, Garba Makera and a National Parks officer identified as  Abubakar Dangamdu.

The remains of the National Park staff has been handed over to the management of agency in New Bussa while others have been given a mass burial in Tungan Walo village close to the scene of the incident.

Survivors speak: Garba Mohammed, Saidu Ismaila and Abdullahi Mohammed are among the few lucky survivors. To them, their survival is still a mystery. Speaking with VM in Hausa, Garba Mohammed said he was a trader and had done business in the market for the past 10 years. “I have not experienced or seen this type of disaster in my life.

How I managed to survive, I cannot really explain because I am not a good swimmer. But I thank God that I eventually survived,” he said. Also speaking, Saidu Ismaila explained that immediately he heard the loud noise, he knew that something disastrous had happened. “I managed to swim to safety but how I got to the final destination is what I cannot explain,“ he remarked.

As at the time of going to press Abdullahi Mohammed who said he was with his wife and a male child could not ascertain their whereabouts. “I don’t know whether my wife and child are still alive. We were sitting close to each other in the canoe but when the canoe broke into two, I cannot precisely say which direction the wave of the sea  carried them to. For me, I don’t exactly know whether I was rescued by the local swimmers or swam into safety myself. All I can say is that my survival is the act of God, “Mohammed opined.

Meanwhile, the Niger State governor has ordered the release of N13 million to the families of the deceased. Each of them will receive N500,000. Similarly, the Governor has directed the State Ministry of Transportation to strictly enforce the laws that govern  water transportation in the state to avoid future calamities.