New details have emerged regarding a boat accident that claimed the lives of four passengers following recent floods that submerged Maiduguri and its surrounding areas.
Arewa PUNCH previously reported on the incident, which occurred during heavy flooding on September 10, 2024, particularly in Maiduguri, the state capital.
The boat accident resulted in the tragic deaths of four passengers.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed the victims’ deaths after their boat capsized in the Dikwa Local Government Area.
According to the State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, the accident occurred on September 23, at around 3:30 pm, in the Bakassi community, located between Mafa and Dikwa along Maiduguri Road.
ASP Daso identified the victims as Ya Mallum Shettima, an adult female from Marte LGA; Maimuna Akura, 10; Umira Alhaji Bulama, 6; and Yagana Bulama Kawu, a five-month-old infant.
An investigation by Arewa PUNCH revealed that over the past six years, Borno State has experienced three separate boat accidents, resulting in the deaths of 34 passengers, with 18 of those lives lost.
These accidents, which occurred across various local government areas between 2018 and 2024, were largely attributed to heavy flooding and thunderstorms.
In September 2018, a boat carrying nine people capsized in the Zabarmari area of Jere Local Government. Local divers recovered six bodies, while three survivors were rescued. Eyewitnesses reported that the boat capsized during a trip from Zabarmari to Dusuman settlement.
Bulama Maidamma, the ward head of Zabarmari at the time, confirmed that two females and four males died in the incident, while three others were rescued. He attributed the accident to a strong sandstorm that lasted for about 30 minutes.
Similarly, in August 2021, eight passengers died after a boat carrying 21 people capsized in Shani Local Government Area. The passengers were returning from a nearby market in Buma Village when the accident occurred around 7:00 pm. A local lawmaker, Ibrahim Musa, who was representing the Shani Constituency at the time, confirmed that six bodies were recovered.