RismadarVoice Reporters
June 14, 2026
At least 11 people, including a pregnant woman and six children, are feared to have lost their lives following a boat accident in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
The tragedy reportedly occurred on Saturday evening between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. as passengers were travelling by boat from Wadata to the Daududawada community during a heavy rainstorm that affected parts of Makurdi.
Confirming the incident, the commander of a local vigilante outfit, Operation Shara (Sweep), Nura Umar, said the victims included the pregnant woman, six children and four other adults.
According to Umar, the passengers were residents of Daududawada, an island settlement located behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME) Barracks in the North Bank area of Makurdi.
He explained that the group had travelled to Wadata earlier in the day to attend the burial of a woman from their community who had died after receiving treatment at a private hospital in North Bank.
After the burial ceremony, the mourners reportedly chose to return home by boat because it offered a shorter route than travelling by road.
Umar stated that while the journey was underway, a severe rainstorm accompanied by strong winds struck the area, causing the overloaded boat to capsize in the river.
He disclosed that more than 40 people were believed to have been on board at the time of the accident. While several passengers survived, 11 persons are feared dead.
Rescue efforts remain ongoing, with local divers searching for missing victims. Umar said four bodies had been recovered and buried, while search teams continued efforts to locate the remaining seven individuals believed to be missing.
He further revealed that one of the survivors tragically lost her baby during the incident.
