LAFIA – No fewer than four persons have been reportedly killed following a boat incident that occurred on Monday in Nasarawa.
This has brought the number of boat mishaps in the state recently to 16.
Out of the four persons killed on Monday, two were of the same parents, while the other two were from the Ubbe community in Nassarawa Eggon Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Recalled that a similar boat mishap had claimed the lives of 12 persons at a river, Kogi Kungra Kamfani, in Arikiya, Lafia LGA of the state. In the previous incident, 19 persons lost their lives and seven were rescued.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that the four victims of the Monday mishap visited the area to assist their brother in harvesting rice when the unfortunate incident occurred while crossing the river.
A brother of the deceased and youth leader, Comrade JD Congo, who confirmed the tragedy on Wednesday, appealed to the government to put in place measures to avoid future reoccurrences.
“I want to call on the Nasarawa State Government and the Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency to take proactive measures to curb the excess waters from the Lagdo dam in Cameroon”.
“However, the government must prioritize humanity over any interest as an entity. I therefore appeal to the government to intensify efforts on the provision of modern boats, life jackets, and a water task force to ensure the safety of the residents,” he said.
The affected victims of the boat mishap include a second-class upper graduate of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), Shedrack Dauda, Akolo Moses, Meshach Dauda, and a 39-year-old Alkali Congo (Alaye), a graduate of the College of Education (COE), Akwanga.
