Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The death toll from the boat accident that occurred at the Buruku crossing point on the River Katsina-Ala in Benue State has risen as rescue workers recovered additional bodies from the river, though officials continue to provide varying figures as the search for missing passengers stretches into a second day. The wooden boat, which was carrying mourners returning from a burial ceremony, capsized at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2026, throwing more than 70 passengers and over 30 motorcycles into the water.
By Sunday afternoon, it was reported that at least five bodies had been recovered while six people remained missing. The Public Relations Officer of the Tombo Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Saai Oryina, told the newspaper that the five bodies recovered were people from the Mbayion area of Gboko Local Government Area. "We have recovered five dead bodies. We earlier thought that seven people were missing but later found out they were altogether 11. As we speak, efforts are still being made to find the remaining missing persons," Oryina said. Other reports, including one from Perspecta News and The Podium Media, put the death toll at six. The discrepancies reflect the challenging conditions under which the rescue operation is being conducted, with no proper passenger manifest available to establish exactly how many people were on board.
The Benue State Police Command had earlier confirmed a much lower figure, with spokesperson DSP Peter Orchia Aondongu telling Leadership that two people were confirmed dead while 64 passengers were rescued. "There is no proper record of the occupants of the boat, and it will be difficult to know the exact number of passengers who were in the boat," he said. The Buruku Local Government Council Chairman, Raymond Zege, said more than 60 people had been rescued and that authorities had not seen about six persons, while the Benue State Emergency Management Agency said its officials had gathered from interviews that 11 people were missing.
The circumstances of the accident are becoming clearer. Eyewitnesses said that the boat was heavily overloaded with passengers and motorcycles when its engine developed a fault midway through the journey. "The boat was overloaded with many people and over 30 motorcycles. They were coming from the Logo LGA side of the river at about 11 am when the incident happened," one eyewitness said. Zege confirmed that the boat's engine failed during the return journey, causing panic among the passengers. The mourners, mostly from Mbayion in Gboko Local Government Area, had crossed the river to attend a burial on the other side before the tragedy struck on their return.
A relative of four victims, Nathaniel Apaa, made an emotional appeal for prayers. In a post on his Facebook page, he said two women among the four members of his family involved in the accident had been recovered, while his two younger brothers remained missing. "Four of my family members were involved in the boat accident but two women have been recovered while the other two young men are still missing. I'm very sad. I'm not even in Benue at the moment to witness this myself, but reports reaching me said 11 people are still missing and my two younger ones are among them. We need prayers," he said.
The Benue State Government has responded swiftly to the tragedy. The Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Dennis Ter Iyaghigba, who visited the scene on Saturday for an on-the-spot assessment, ordered the immediate suspension of the Buruku crossing point branch of the Nigeria Union of Maritime Workers, the suspension of the line operator, and the arrest and detention of the boat skipper involved in the incident. The government also constituted an inter-ministerial committee to investigate the immediate, remote and underlying causes of the mishap. Iyaghigba further directed strict compliance with the mandatory use of life jackets at all river crossing points across the state, stressing the need for safety regulations to be enforced. He issued a seven-day ultimatum to the owner of an abandoned barge believed to have contributed to the accident to evacuate it from the crossing point or risk its confiscation by the state government.
The union's public relations officer, Oryina, attributed some of the challenges associated with water transportation in the state to passengers' refusal to wear life jackets despite the risks. He said although the union had no major challenge with the availability of boats, passengers' failure to use life jackets could reduce their chances of survival in the event of an accident. The local government chairman, Zege, echoed this concern, noting that the council had provided life jackets for commuters using the route, but some passengers often resisted efforts by maritime officials to enforce their use. He appealed to residents and commuters using the waterway to comply with maritime safety regulations.
The Benue State Emergency Management Agency said its officials had arrived at the scene to commence fact-finding and support the search operation. The agency's Information Officer, Terna Ager, said the team was waiting for a boat to convey them to the point where the incident occurred and expressed concern over the rising water level at the scene, describing it as worrisome. Local divers have been working alongside the ministry and emergency responders to locate the missing passengers.
The tragedy has renewed concerns about the safety of water transportation in Benue State, where boat accidents have claimed numerous lives in recent years. In June 2026, a boat carrying mourners returning from a burial ceremony capsized on the River Benue in Makurdi Local Government Area, leaving at least 11 people feared dead, including a pregnant woman and six children. In January 2026, a boat capsized on the Buruku River, killing 11 passengers. The recurrence of such incidents has highlighted the persistent failure to enforce safety regulations, including the mandatory use of life jackets and restrictions on overloading, despite repeated government directives and public appeals.
For the families of the victims, the wait for news has been agonising. The search for the remaining missing passengers continues, and authorities have yet to release a definitive figure for the total number of passengers aboard the boat and those still unaccounted for. The Benue State Government has said further details will be made available as investigations and rescue efforts continue. As the inter-ministerial committee begins its work and the search for the missing stretches on, the community in Mbayion and Gboko is left to mourn the dead and pray for the safe return of those still in the water. The tragedy stands as another painful reminder of the human cost of unsafe river transport in Nigeria, and of the gap between the regulations that exist and the enforcement that does not.
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