18 killed, five rescued in Bauchi boat mishap

Five people were also rescued in the boat accident.

The incident was said to have occurred on Thursday when one Nuhu Kaila of Zango Majiya village ferried 23 people who were heading to their farms .

Unfortunately, they met their untimely death when the boat capsized in the middle of the river.

The Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil who announced their deaths in a statement made available to newsmen in Bauchi, the capital Friday said medical doctor certified the 18 persons dead, while 5 were rescued.

According to him, on receipt of the report the Divisional Police Officer of Itas Gidau station and team of policemen rushed to the scene where corpses were removed from the river and taken to General Hospital Itas, for postmortem examination.

He gave the names of the deceased as: Abdulraham shehu ‘m’ aged 20yrs, Suwaiba Yusuf ‘f’ aged 12yrs old, Saude Abdulkarim’ F ‘aged 14yrs old, Fatima Maigari ‘f’ aged 10yrs, Zuwaira Maigari ‘f’ aged 10yrs, Hari Maigari ‘f’ aged 9yrs, Hussaina Maigari ‘f’ aged 8yrs.

Others are; Ummani Abdulkarim ‘f’ aged 15yrs, Halima Saminu ‘f’ aged 15yrs, of Gidan Ganji village, Najaatu Hamza ‘f’ aged 15yrs, Nura Abdullahi ‘m’ aged 25yrs, Yahuza Abdullahi ‘f’ aged 12yrs, Hafsa Abdullahi ‘f’ aged 11yrs, of Majiya village.

Sadiya Hashimu ‘f’ aged 10yrs, Khadija Alhassan ‘f’ aged 15yrs, of Gwarai village, Amina Idris ‘f’ aged 15yrs, Kaltime Hudu ‘f’ aged 14yrs, Furaira Malam Magaji ‘f’ aged 14yrs, of Zangon Majiya village who were all drowned in the river and died on the spot.

He added that the canoe driver , Aisha Adamu ‘f’ aged 16yrs, Umaru Adamu ‘m’ aged 30yrs were rescued unconscious.

The statement reads ” On 12/11/2020 at about 1100hrs, one Ali Adamu village head of Majiya came to Itas-Gadau Police Station and reported that, on same date at about 1030hrs, one Nuhu Kaila ‘m’ of Zango Majiya village, while carrying about 23 persons in a Canoe, from Zango Majiya to Farm, on reaching middle of river Buji, the canoe capsized.

”On receipt of the report, DPO and team of policemen rushed to the scene, Corpses were removed from the river and taken to General Hospital Itas, for postmortem examination, medical doctor certified 18 persons dead, while 5 persons were rescued.”