. 29 dead bodies recovered, 50 rescued, two still missing
No fewer than 29 people have been confirmed dead in a boat mishap at the Malale riverfront in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The boat with 90 passengers on board reportedly took off from Tugan Sule in Shagunu ward of Borgu LGA en route Dugga for a condolence visit.
The victims, it was learnt included women and children. So far, 29 dead bodies have been recovered, 50 people rescued and two still missing.
Director General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba Arah, confirmed the incident.
Baba Arah said, “NSEMA has received a report of boat mishap incident at a community called Gausawa in Malale area/ward of Borgu LGA. According to our desk officer who led the search and rescue operations, the boat took off from a community called Tugan sule in Shagunu ward with 90 people on board, which included women and children on the boat heading to Dugga for a condolence visit.
“The incident happened yesterday, 2nd September 2025 at about 11:30am and the cause was attributed to overloading and collision with a tree stump.
“As of the time of filling this report, 29 dead bodies have been recovered with 50 persons rescued alive while 2 people are still missing.
“Search and rescue operations are still on going for possible recovery of missing persons”.
Area Manager, National Inland Waterways Authority, Akapo Adeboye, also confirmed the incident.
