Some survivors of the recent boat accident in Ebu community, Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, share their experiences with TUNDE OYEKOLA
My son died in the accident – Abdullahi
My name is Mohammed Abdullahi. I am one of the passengers in the boat and one of my sons was also in the boat. About three minutes after we entered the boat, it capsized. Some of the women were unable to make it, while most of the men made it by climbing the tree when the incident occurred. We were over 150 in the boat. One of my sons, Usman Abdullahi, was also in the boat.
What was your mission in Eboti village?
We went to Eboti for a ceremony and after the ceremony was over, we took a boat to return to our village, but the boat broke into two and threw most of us into the river. I was able to swim and I got to the bank of the river. Many died in the river and my son (Usman Abdullahi) was one of those who died.
How old was your son who died in the river?
My son, Usman, was 15 years old; he was a tailor by profession. I feel pained because my son who died had an occupation. He was my backbone and he used to help me with money. He had been helping us in the family. I’m a farmer and he usually gave me money to buy rice, chemical and other things. With his death now, there is no one else to help me because my other children are too young to do so.
How do you think the government can assist your community?
We want to appeal to the government to help us with roads in our area. We have no road. There is no road linking the villages. We travel by boat to different places because there is no road linking the villages. If the government can provide us with roads, it will solve the major problem in our communities. We are also appealing to our governor, Mallam Abdulraman Abdulrazaq, to assist us with farm inputs like fertilizers, seedlings and seeds. We are rice farmers; we need tractors to prepare the land. He should also assist us with herbicide and good-yielding planting materials.
Boat overloaded, leaky – Muhammad
Can you narrate your experience in the boat accident?
I am Suleiman Muhammad. We went to Eboti village for a wedding on Saturday. I cannot say the exact number of people affected by the boat accident. The number of passengers affected is over 180. There were over 200 passengers inside the same local canoe before the incident happened.
We entered the canoe without any problem. Unfortunately, the canoe broke into two immediately after we took off. This made many drown in the river. We were already in the middle of the river when the accident happened and there was commotion when the canoe threw many of us into the river. Some men among us were able to swim out of the river, while the women and children drowned.
What did you think happened to the boat that made it break into two?
The canoe was overloaded and it broke into two. It became difficult for many to swim to safety, but the leakage seemed to be there before we entered.
What do you think can solve the problem?
We wouldn’t have travelled by boat if we had an access road, but because there is no access road around the area, we had no option but to join the boat. There is no road linking Ebu and the two other communities. So, the permanent solution is to link the communities by creating an access road. The indigenes are not supposed to pass through the river at all. The villages are set up in a triangular form and they are just trying to create one manageable road in one of the locations.
Women, children worse hit – Village head
How many people were involved in the accident?
I am Liman Ahmed. As a community head and a village head in Patigi, I can tell you that the number of people that were affected during the incident was about 180. Unfortunately, the canoe broke into two and before they could gather themselves to the river bank, many had died. We had about 200 persons inside the ill-fated local canoe. Some of the men among the passengers were able to swim out of the water. Women and children among them got drowned.
What can you attribute as the probable cause of the accident?
The canoe was overloaded and it broke into two. But had it been that there was an access road, they shouldn’t have travelled by boat, but because there is no road network at all in the whole of the area, the three villages are not linked together. So, the indigenes are forced to travel by sea.
I believe overloading made the canoe break into two. But I heap the whole blame on the non-availability of an access road in our area. If there had been an access road, the people would not have opted for water transportation. The three villages are not linked because of the absence of an access road.
What can you suggest as a solution to this kind of thing?
Honestly, the solution is to construct a road that will link the villages.
Our people should not embark on any journey by sea. Those who attended the wedding only tried to find a manageable route to the location of the event when the incident occurred because the three villages are in a triangular form. So, there is an urgent need for a road network. We appeal to the government to come to our aid in this regard.
My brother still missing – Villager
Can you narrate how the accident happened?
I’m from Ebu village. My name is Ibrahim Muhammed. I’m one of the victims of last Monday’s boat accident. We all went to a wedding in a village called Eboti. The village is in the Patigi Local Government Area and by 3am, we left there for our respective villages and we had earlier gathered at Lipata. We were on board the boat and started moving from that place to our village which is Ebu. About two minutes after we left Eboti, water began to penetrate the boat through an opening by its side. The boat then collapsed; we were about 200 people in the vehicle, including women and children. The men in the boat were few.
What happened thereafter?
As the boat broke into two, we now started shouting but nobody was around to help us at that time because some of the fishermen and boat drivers had gone home. The men in the vehicle who were thrown into the river tried to swim to the river bank. Some of us escaped while others who could not make it died in the river. In my own village, Ebu, we lost 62 people, excluding my brother who is still missing. We have not been able to find him till today (Wednesday.)
What did you do when your brother failed to show up in the village?
On Monday morning, the corpses of some people who died in the accident were brought out of the river. Some of us from the village who escaped and swam to the river bank assembled in the village. When we could not see him, we went to the river bank and told some divers to help us look for him, but in the evening, they returned and said that they could not see him. Till now, he has yet to show up in the village and his corpse has not been found in any part of the river. We don’t know whether the river has taken his corpse to another village.
