A tragic boat accident in Taraba State has left the Gassol Local Government Area in mourning after no fewer than three people were confirmed dead, and several others declared missing.
The heartbreaking incident occurred around 7:00 p.m. on Friday, July 25, as a boat transporting both passengers and vehicles capsized while crossing the river near the collapsed Namnai Bridge.
The Namnai Bridge, which collapsed over a year ago due to infrastructural failure, has since left thousands of commuters with no option but to rely on boat transportation as a temporary but risky alternative.
With no repair or reconstruction carried out since the bridge went down, local residents and transporters have had to cross the river using wooden and metal boats, often without adequate safety equipment or regulations in place.
According to eyewitnesses and survivors, the boat was fully loaded with both human passengers and several vehicles when it departed from the riverbank on Friday evening.
Eyewitnesses described the boat as dangerously overcrowded, a common situation due to the high demand for river transport since the bridge collapse. Midway through the crossing, the boat reportedly lost balance and capsized suddenly, plunging its passengers and cargo into the deep river waters.
The Chairman of the Inland Water Transporters Association in Taraba State, Mr. Jidda Mayoreniyo, confirmed the incident in a press briefing.
He stated that four vehicles that were on board the boat at the time of the incident have since been recovered from the riverbed. While some of the passengers were pulled out alive by local divers and rescuers, many others remain missing, raising fears that the death toll could rise in the coming days.
In addition to the human tragedy, the belongings of passengers—including bags, personal valuables, and commercial goods—were lost in the mishap.
Many families who depended on the river crossing for daily trade and transportation now face not only the pain of possible bereavement but also the loss of their means of livelihood. Search efforts for both victims and property continue, but the river’s strong currents and limited rescue resources have made the recovery process difficult and slow.
Residents of Gassol and neighboring communities have expressed deep frustration over the government’s failure to reconstruct the collapsed Namnai Bridge over a year after it gave way. They lament that what could have been a preventable accident is yet another tragedy stemming from long-standing neglect of critical infrastructure in rural areas.
“We warned several times that this kind of disaster was only a matter of time,” one angry resident told reporters. “Since the bridge collapsed, we have been left to risk our lives daily just to cross the river. Now people are dead, families are in pain, and nothing has changed.”
Transporters and civil society groups in the state have also called for an urgent government intervention, not just in rescuing the remaining victims but in prioritizing the immediate reconstruction of the Namnai Bridge and the regulation of inland water transport systems.
They are also demanding that safety equipment such as life jackets, buoyancy aids, and emergency rescue services be made mandatory for all river-crossing activities in the area.
As recovery operations continue, the incident has once again brought to the fore Nigeria’s ongoing challenges with failing infrastructure, lack of maintenance, and poor disaster preparedness, especially in rural regions.
Human rights advocates and civil engineers are urging the federal and state governments to take urgent action to prevent future tragedies and ensure safer transportation for vulnerable communities.
Until the bridge is fixed and safer systems are put in place, residents say they remain at the mercy of the river—and fate.