Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Four people have died and nine others remain missing following a boat mishap on the Buruku River in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State.
The Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, confirmed the updated casualty figures on Sunday, October 4, 2026, as search and rescue efforts continued at the scene of the accident.
Among those confirmed dead was a Catholic priest identified as Rev. Fr. Moses Tsuagh.
SEMA Information Officer, Tema Ager, disclosed the figures while providing an update at the scene of the incident.
Ager said four bodies had been recovered, while nine passengers remained unaccounted for.
“The update I have now is four dead bodies recovered, among them is Rev. Fr. Moses Tsuagh, and the missing persons are nine,” he said.
The incident occurred on Saturday as passengers were travelling across the Buruku River after attending a burial ceremony in Buruku. The victims were reportedly from neighbouring Gboko Local Government Area.
Initial information from SEMA indicated that more than 200 people may have been on board the ill-fated boat, although the exact number of passengers remains unclear.
According to Ager, 32 commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada riders, were initially identified as being on the boat with their motorcycles.
He explained that each rider reportedly carried three other people, meaning the 32 riders accounted for about 128 people, with the riders themselves bringing the total to approximately 128 or 138 depending on the accounting of passengers at the waterside.
Other mourners and passengers waiting at the river crossing were also said to have boarded the vessel.
Ager said one of the surviving riders estimated that about 200 passengers were on board the boat at the time of the incident.
The number of motorcycles involved has also risen from the initial figure. SEMA said 38 motorcycles were eventually recorded in the water.
While 32 motorcycles belonged to the Okada riders who were initially identified as passengers, six additional motorcycles from other boats were also reported to have fallen into the river.
The accident has raised fresh concerns about safety at river crossings in the state, particularly the use of boats to transport large numbers of passengers and motorcycles.
Following the tragedy, the Benue State Government moved to suspend operations at the affected crossing point.
The Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Dennis Iyaghigba, announced the suspension of the Buruku crossing-point branch of the Nigeria Union of Maritime Workers during an on-the-spot assessment of the accident scene.
Iyaghigba also ordered the suspension of the line operator and directed that the boat skipper involved in the incident be arrested and detained.
The measures are expected to form part of the government’s immediate response while authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The latest incident is not the first fatal boat accident recorded in Benue this year. The state has experienced several waterway tragedies, prompting renewed calls for stronger enforcement of safety regulations, particularly regarding passenger capacity and the transportation of motorcycles on boats.
The scale of Saturday’s incident has also increased concerns over the absence of adequate alternative transport infrastructure for communities that depend heavily on waterways.
Buruku and other riverine communities in Benue rely on water transport for movement between settlements, especially where road connections are limited or difficult.
Authorities are expected to establish how the boat was loaded, whether safety requirements were observed and what caused it to capsize.
The government’s decision to suspend the crossing-point operations and order the arrest of the skipper indicates that authorities are treating the incident as a serious safety matter.
Meanwhile, rescue personnel and other responders have continued efforts to locate the nine passengers still missing.
The recovery operation is expected to continue as authorities work to establish the full number of people who were aboard the boat and account for those who remain unaccounted for.
The confirmed death of Rev. Fr. Moses Tsuagh has also added to the grief surrounding the incident, with the Catholic community among those affected by the tragedy.
The identities of the other three recovered victims and the nine missing passengers had not all been publicly disclosed in the latest update from SEMA.
Authorities have yet to announce the final passenger manifest, making it difficult to independently establish the exact number of people who were aboard when the boat overturned.
The disparity between the initial estimate of more than 200 passengers and the number of people officially confirmed dead or missing also underscores the challenge facing rescue and identification efforts.
As the search continues, families and communities affected by the incident are awaiting further information from the state emergency agency and other authorities.
The Benue State Government is also expected to review operations at the affected crossing point and determine whether additional safety measures should be introduced to prevent another tragedy.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the risks associated with overcrowded water transport and the need for strict enforcement of safety regulations on Nigeria’s inland waterways.
For now, four deaths have been officially confirmed, nine people remain missing, and the search operation continues on the Buruku River.
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