‘All I think about is her’: Families demand answers as Nigeria's boat disasters keep happening

What the report says

BBC World News reports that families and safety advocates in Nigeria are again demanding action after a wooden canoe capsized in Jigawa state on Sunday with about 40 people aboard, mostly female farmers and labourers. According to the BBC, 23 people had been rescued and nine bodies recovered as search-and-rescue efforts continued. The incident follows other recent fatal accidents, including 12 deaths on the River Benue last month and 14 deaths in Kebbi state earlier this year.

The BBC says more than 55 people have died in Nigerian boat accidents so far this year, with some victims still missing. It places the latest tragedy in a wider pattern affecting rural and riverine communities, where waterways are often the most practical transport route because roads and bridges are limited. Families interviewed by the BBC described lasting grief, including Isiyaka Bello in Kebbi state, whose wife died last year while returning from a market, leaving him to raise four children.

The report identifies recurring safety concerns: overcrowded and ageing wooden boats, limited life jackets, weak enforcement and operators who may lack training or licences. Mallam Sala Altine, a local river safety figure in Niger state, told the BBC that boats may carry more than 100 passengers while only a handful of life jackets are available. Niger state emergency official Ibrahim Husseini said authorities provide jackets, but some residents resist wearing them and there are too few marshals to monitor all terminals.

Existing rules under Nigeria’s Water Transport Code and National Inland Waterways Authority directives require life jackets and approved boarding points, but experts told the BBC implementation remains poor. The issue matters because millions rely on river transport, and repeated official promises have not yet prevented routine, deadly capsizes.