Kogi boat mishap leaves 20 dead as vessel capsizes in Ibaji, with survivors still missing ahead of Nigeria’s 65th independence celebration

Kogi boat mishap has left no fewer than 20 people confirmed dead after a vessel capsized on the River Niger in Ibaji Local Government Area on Tuesday evening, just hours before Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary.

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The incident occurred around 4:30pm on 30 September 2025, when the boat, fully loaded with passengers, departed from Onugwa community en route to Ilushi market.

According to eyewitness James Otoga, the boat was carrying villagers travelling for the Independence Day celebration when tragedy struck.

“The boat was fully loaded with our people going to market for the first of October celebration. Only five survivors have surfaced while 20 bodies have been recovered so far, and more are still lying lifeless beneath the river,” Otoga said.

He added that some passengers, who had attended a burial in Onugwa and were returning to Ilushi, were also among those missing, with the total number of occupants yet to be confirmed.

Confirming the development, Ibaji Local Government Chairman, Honourable Ugeh Emmanuel, described the tragedy as the most disastrous in the council’s history.

“As I am speaking with you now, nobody can authoritatively say this is the actual number of casualties. Again, we cannot ascertain the number of people onboard.

This is a very serious accident. The boat had not even reached Ilushi when the mishap occurred,” he said.

Emmanuel further revealed that most of the victims were heading to Ilushi for the annual October 1st celebration, a long-standing tradition in the community, before they met their untimely death.

The Kogi boat mishap adds to a worrying pattern of recurring tragedies in riverine states such as Kogi and Niger, where overcrowding, lack of safety measures, and poorly maintained vessels continue to claim lives.

Efforts to reach the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebanji, and its Corporate Affairs AGM, Suleiman Makama, were unsuccessful as calls to their phones went unanswered.

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As rescue operations continue, families in Ibaji remain in mourning, praying for more survivors in what is already being described as a black chapter in the local government’s history.