Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Benue State, Nigeria — At least six students have died and several others were rescued after a wooden passenger boat capsized at the Buruku crossing point on the River Benue in Buruku Local Government Area late on Monday night, 19 January 2026, while ferrying people returning to school, authorities and eyewitnesses said.
The ill-fated vessel was carrying more than 45 passengers — including students from communities such as Gbeji in Ukum Local Government Area returning to schools in Gboko and other nearby towns — as well as vehicles and goods when it reportedly sank midway through the journey across the river, according to local sources and water transport workers.
Eyewitnesses told reporters that overloading was likely a key factor in the tragedy. Some said the boat had been delayed throughout the day at the crossing point to allow other passengers, including politicians returning from a church event in Logo LGA, to be ferried ahead of them, forcing the remaining travellers to make the crossing after nightfall.
“Nightfall caught up with them … midway into the journey, the boat capsized due to overloading,” one witness said, noting that although rescue teams saved more than 35 passengers, at least six students drowned in the mishap.
Local officials confirmed the deaths and said efforts were ongoing to recover missing passengers. Five bodies had been retrieved, while search teams continued combing the water for the sixth victim, relatives and sources said.
Benue State’s Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Dennis Iyaghigba, described the incident as a “grave concern and deep distress,” warning that the tragedy underscores the dangers posed by unsafe and unregulated inland water transport. The ministry has launched a full-scale investigation into the immediate and underlying causes of the accident, including possible safety violations, operational negligence, and environmental factors.
In Makurdi, lawmakers responding to the disaster moved for regulatory reforms. The Benue State House of Assembly has urged the state’s Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to establish a task force to regulate boat operations on the Buruku River, including mandatory vessel registration, operator licensing, compulsory life jackets for passengers, and strict enforcement of load limits. Legislators also pressed for completion of a long-planned bridge in the area to reduce reliance on risky river crossings.
The Buruku crossing serves as a vital route for students, traders, commuters and rural residents between Buruku, Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala LGAs — a route that many say has been unsafe due to a lack of functional road infrastructure and unregulated water transport services.
Relatives of the victims are mourning the loss of young lives just as the new school term began, calling for improved safety measures on inland waterways to prevent future tragedies.
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