By RismadarVoice Reporters
January 5, 2026
Death toll from Saturday’s boat accident in Nguru Local Government Area of Yobe State has risen to 29, up from the 25 earlier announced by the state government.
The Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA), Dr Mohammad Goje, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Damaturu.
According to him, four additional bodies were recovered from the river, while between eight and ten passengers are still missing.
He said search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Goje added that 13 injured passengers rescued after the incident were treated at a local hospital and have since been discharged.
Preliminary investigations, he said, indicate that overloading and structural defects of the boat were among the major causes of the accident.
Following the incident, Governor Mai Mala Buni directed YOSEMA to liaise with relevant federal government agencies to strengthen safety measures in water transportation across the area.
Goje said the collaboration would enable better policing of waterways, enforcement of safety regulations, including the compulsory use of life jackets.
“Once this is achieved, we can ensure anyone boarding a canoe must wear a life jacket, that it is institutionalized,” he said.
The ill-fated boat, which departed from Adiyani in neighbouring Jigawa State, capsized along the Yobe River at Garbi town at about 7:48p.m. on Saturday.
More than 50 passengers, mostly farmers and traders, were believed to be on board at the time of the accident.
The location is about 230 kilometres from Damaturu, the state capital.
