According to Saviour Noku, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Social Development in Taraba State, at least 20 dead have been found following the boat tragedy that happened on October 28 in the River Benue in the Mayo-Renewo-Karim Lamido Waterway.
This was revealed by Noku on Saturday while paying condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in the tragic tragedy that occurred in the Binneri hamlet in the Karim Lamido Local Government Area of the state.
In addition to expressing sympathy to the relatives of the dead and the community, the state deputy governor, Alhaji Aminu Alkali, expressed grief over the incident and declared that the government would forbid nighttime travel on any of the state’s waterways in order to prevent a repeat of it.
The deputy governor ordered that all obstacles on the waterways be removed within seven days, even though he blamed the tragedy on fishermen who had built barriers on the rivers in an effort to catch fish.
Noku said“This sad development is unacceptable. This incident we were told was caused by barricades on the waterways by fishermen”.
“Government has, therefore, banned all night journeys on the waterways, and all the barricades on the waterways must be cleared within seven days.
“In addition, all passengers must put on lifejackets before boarding boats in the state. And henceforth, manifest of passengers onboard boats must be taken before setting out,”
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On October 28, a boat carrying 104 people—mostly women and children—capsized in the River Benue on its way back to Binneri in the state’s Karim Lamido Local Government Area from the Mayo-Renewo fish market in Ardo-Kola Local Government.
