At least 20 fishermen died after their boat capsized on Monday in the Anyiin area of River Benue in north-eastern Nigeria’s Taraba state.
According to Taraba State Water Transportation Chairman Alhaji Jidda Suleiman, the boat was carrying fishermen from the Ibi and Wukari local government areas of Taraba to Kwara state.
“I was informed that the fishermen converged and boarded the boat to Kwara state in search of greener pastures, and along the way, they had an accident and over 20 people died.
"Twelve of the dead are from Ibi, while some are from Gareji, in Gindin Doruwa, Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba state,” Suleiman added.
Frequent accidents
“It has been the tradition of our fishermen in Taraba state that once it is close to December, some will travel to Cameroon, some to Chad and other places to fish until August of the following year. It’s unfortunate that the usual tradition turned out to be sorrowful this time,” said Suleiman.
Boat accidents are frequent on Nigeria's poorly regulated waterways due to overloaded boats, lack of maintenance and poor safety, particularly in the annual rainy season when rivers and lakes swell and flood.
In June, at least 108 people drowned after a wooden boat carrying more than 250 people from a late-night wedding across the Niger River in Kwara state, north cantral Nigeria, broke apart after hitting a log.
