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Niger Boat Mishap: 20 More Bodies Recovered As Victims’ Families Share Grief

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Twenty additional bodies were recovered on Thursday from the site of a tragic boat accident that occurred on Tuesday in Niger State.

The wooden boat, carrying approximately 300 passengers from Kwara State to an event in Niger State, capsized at Gbajibo in Mokwa Local Government Area.

Local divers, along with officials from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), have been conducting the recovery operation.

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The Director-General of NSEMA, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed that the total number of recovered bodies has now reached 36, with 16 bodies — 14 males and 2 females — having been retrieved and buried on Wednesday. An additional 20 bodies were recovered on Thursday.

Baba-Arah stated that the search and rescue mission is ongoing, as more passengers remain unaccounted for.

READ ALSO: Video Shows Passengers In Overloaded Boat Moments Before It Capsized In Niger State [WATCH]

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Many of the victims hailed from Kwara State, particularly from Kaiama Local Government Area. Community members and relatives shared the emotional toll of the disaster.

Mahmud Gbajibo, a resident of the Gbajibo community, recounted the loss of seven family members.

“I lost two married nieces, three nephews, and two younger brothers who came for a naming ceremony,” he said.

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“We had to bury them on the Niger State side to avoid chaos back home in Kwara.

“Our women were devastated, running around in grief. The entire community has been paralyzed by this tragedy — no shops are open, and no one is cooking.”

Gbajibo also revealed that the community had requested motorcycles to prevent future tragedies.

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READ ALSO: ‘I Was An Armed Robber, Terrorist At 14’ — Pastor Odumeje [VIDEO]

Many victims would not have taken the boat if we had motorcycles. We need better transportation to avoid overloading boats,” he stated.

Haron Yohana, who lost five family members, shared his grief. “I lost my father, brother, and three nieces. I said goodbye to them, not knowing it was the last time. The tragedy happened in the night, unnoticed until another boat passed through the area.”

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed his condolences to the people of Niger State and the families of the victims.

In a statement from his special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President prayed for the souls of the deceased and called for an investigation into the frequency of boat accidents in the region.

 

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Metro

Why DSS Questioned Me Over Viral Threat Video — Lagos NURTW Boss

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The Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Mustapha Olanrewaju, popularly known as Sego, has explained why he was grilled by the Department of State Services following a viral video in which he was accused of making threats ahead of the 2027 elections.

In the clip, Sego was heard speaking in Yoruba, saying: “Anyone who makes any mistake in 2027 will be dealt with. Let it be known: the APC is your party. Those who don’t comply will face us.”

The video sparked outrage online, with critics accusing him of incitement and political intimidation.

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READ ALSO:DSS Arraigns Sowore Over Anti-Tinubu Post

Speaking after his session with the DSS, Sego said, “Good afternoon everyone. My name is Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle Olanrewaju. I have been with the DSS since morning. I just left them around after 7. They just released me on bail.”

He insisted the claims against him were false. “I heard they invited me because of a propaganda that I insulted some people or something like that. So that is a fake rumour. What I was talking about was national union (NURTW),” he said.

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Sego argued that rival groups within the union were behind the controversy. “We all know that every profession has its rival. As politicians have rivals, mechanics have rivals too. So it is the NURTW rivals that don’t want my work in Lagos to be successful. So they are looking for means to scatter it and cause trouble. They are the ones I was talking to and letting the world and the DSS and the Police know that NURTW is a peaceful union.”

READ ALSO:Lagos NURTW Boss Reacts To Alleged Threat To Voters As DSS Grilled Him Over Viral Video

He described the allegations as propaganda. “It is the naysayers that want to be peddling false rumours. So what the DSS have been grilling me about is not what it seems. It is just propaganda. I concentrate on my work. You can be part of any association. We all know the party we want to associate with.”

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Sego added that the invitation was aimed at distracting him from his duties. “Since morning, I am supposed to be in my office but I have been with the DSS. This is an attempt to destabilise me and the NURTW in Lagos,” he said.

The NURTW have been accused in past elections of being used to intimidate opponents or sway voters, allegations the union has consistently denied.

During the 2019 and 2023 polls, clashes linked to transport union factions raised concerns about the use of motor park leaders in political disputes.

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Youths Beat Ondo Monarch, Wife, Son During Festival

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Crisis erupted in Idogun community, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Friday as some irate youths allegedly beat up the town’s monarch, Oba Moses Bakare, his wife, and his son, identified as Victor.

The incident, which occurred during the annual New Yam festival, left the monarch injured while his wife was reportedly beaten and stripped half-naked by the angry youths.

Though the cause of the attack could not be immediately ascertained, a resident of the town, who pleaded anonymity for fear of reprisal, said some residents had long been at loggerheads with the monarch.

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READ ALSO:Man Hacks Grandmother To Death In Ondo

The source stated, “The angry youths really assaulted the monarch and his wife and son. We don’t know what caused it but we know that some youths in the community don’t like the Oba; we don’t know why.

“If not the swift intervention of security operatives, the matter would have degenerated to a full-blown crisis in the town.”

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Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, told PUNCH Online that an investigation had commenced.

The case is under investigation and we are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that justice is served,” the PPRO stated.

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Police Arrest Officer, UNIPORT Student Over Cult-related Violence

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The Rivers State Police Command says it has arrested two suspected cultists and recovered firearms and ammunition during a signing-out ceremony for final-year students at the University of Port Harcourt.

In a press release signed on Friday by its Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, the command said the suspects, a police officer and a student, were getting ready for clash with rival cultists before their arrest.

Iringe-Koko said, “On September 26, 2025, at about 1600hrs, during the activities marking the signing out of final-year students at the University of Port-Harcourt, the University’s Internal Security team confronted a suspected cult member , Police Corporal Onwukwe Godswill ‘m’ attached to the Elimgbu Division and a 200-Level Biomedical Technology undergraduate student of the University, Ifeanyi Israel ‘m’ in anticipation of a clash with rival Cultists on campus.”

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READ ALSO:Court Dismisses Suit Seeking Refund Of Rivers’ Monies Expended By Ibas

Both suspects were taken into custody and searched, the statement added.

During the initial search, the PPRO said weapons, including pistols, ammunition, and axes, were recovered.

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“A subsequent search of the house of the suspected cult leader, Cpl Onwukwe, by the operatives, resulted in the recovery of the following additional exhibits: one (1) locally made pistol and two (2) machetes,” she added.

The command said the suspects and exhibits are currently in police custody as an in-depth investigation is underway to determine the full extent of their involvement and identify any accomplices.

READ ALSO:Police Confirm Abduction Of 17 Passengers Along Calabar Waterway

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Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, reiterated the force’s commitment to maintaining peace.

He warned that “there will be no hiding place for criminals in the State” and urged the public to report suspicious activity to security agencies.”

PUNCH Online recalls that the Rivers Police Command last week also arrested a security guard simply identified as Godday over the alleged abduction and defilement of a 14-year-old girl in the Mothercat axis of Trans-Amadi in Port Harcourt.

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The suspect was said to have been arrested last Tuesday by officers of the Amadi Police Division in partnership with security personnel of another bank adjacent to the scene of the crime.

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