At least six students are feared dead after a wooden boat capsized on Monday night at the Buruku crossing in Benue State, a waterway long associated with fatal accidents.
PUNCH first reported the incident, citing local sources who said the students were returning to school when the overloaded boat overturned in the Buruku River, in Buruku Local Government Area.
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A maritime worker who witnessed the incident told journalists that the passengers had waited for hours after politicians returning from a thanksgiving service in neighbouring Logo Local Government Area were ferried across first.
“Nightfall caught up with the remaining passengers, and the boat eventually departed with a large number of people onboard,” the witness said. “Midway into the journey, the boat capsized due to overloading.”
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He added that while many passengers were rescued, six students drowned. “Five bodies have been recovered so far, while search efforts are ongoing for one missing victim,” he said.
Another witness said the boat was carrying more than 45 passengers, alongside vehicles and goods, far beyond its safe capacity.
A relative of one of the victims, Jethro Moor, said the deceased were students from Gbeji community in the Ukum Local Government Area who were travelling back to Gboko.
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“The weight was too much for the boat,” Mr Moor said. “With the ongoing bridge construction, the navigable path has become narrow, and the boat could not remain stable under such a load.”
The chairperson of Buruku Local Government Area, Raymond Zege, confirmed the incident on Tuesday but declined to state the official death toll, saying security agencies were still investigating.
“Once the police conclude the investigation, you can call me,” he said.
The Benue State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Dennis Iyaghigba, described the accident as a grim reminder of the dangers of unsafe river transport. In a statement by his media aide, Lubem Gena, he said a full investigation had been ordered into possible safety violations and extended condolences to the families of the victims.
However, the police spokesperson in the state, Udeme Edet, said the command had yet to receive a formal report on the incident.
A crossing marked by repeated tragedies
Monday’s accident is the latest in a long line of deadly mishaps at the Buruku crossing point, where residents of Buruku, Logo and parts of Ukum LGAs rely on boats due to the absence of a completed bridge.
In October 2018, at least 13 people were killed at the same spot when a boat capsized at night. Five years later, in 2023, another accident at the crossing claimed 17 lives. In 2024, mourners returning from a burial drowned in the river, with 14 deaths recorded.
In January 2026, the Buruku crossing again made headlines after a boat accident left several passengers dead while travelling to a burial in Logo Local Government Area.
Beyond Buruku, similar tragedies have played out across Benue State. In December 2024, about 20 traders, mostly women and children, died when a wooden boat capsized in Agatu Local Government Area. In another Agatu incident, a farmer lost five of his children when a canoe conveying his family sank on their way back from the farm.
A wider national crisis
The Benue tragedy mirrors a broader crisis on Nigeria’s inland waterways. Data compiled by civil society groups and maritime stakeholders show that no fewer than 452 people died in boat mishaps across the country between July and December 2024 alone.
According to the Marine Crafts Builders Association of Nigeria, more than 3,000 boat accidents were recorded nationwide within a decade, largely due to overloading, night travel, weak enforcement of safety rules and the absence of life jackets.
Ahmed Hambali, a maritime expert, has repeatedly warned that poor regulation and lack of rescue capacity continue to fuel the death toll.
“Common causes include poor operator experience, overloading, lack of life-saving appliances and weak regulatory oversight,” he said. “Without decisive action, these tragedies will continue.”
Promises, committees and unanswered questions
In February 2025, the federal government inaugurated a Special Committee on the Prevention of Boat Mishaps, chaired by the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Bola Oyebamiji. The committee was given six weeks to review commercial boat operations and recommend lasting solutions.
Nearly a year later, fatal accidents continue to occur with alarming frequency, raising questions about the impact of the initiative.
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At Buruku, residents say the solution is straightforward: complete the long-promised bridge across the river. Although construction is ongoing, community leaders argue that delays are costing lives.
As search teams continue to comb the river for the missing student, the latest tragedy has renewed grief and anger in Benue, and reinforced a familiar demand from riverine communities across Nigeria: safe crossings, enforced rules and an end to preventable deaths on the water.
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