No be small matter wey dey happen for Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State. Six students don waka go join ancestors as dem drown for Buruku River after dem boat wey dem take capsize on Monday night. Local source don yarn say di wooden boat wey carry plenty passengers too much, na im make dem accident happen. As e be, some eyewitness wey work for maritime no wan show face as dem speak, say di passengers delay before dem start their journey just to allow some politicians wey dey come back from church thanksgiving service pass first. Na so dem hold up di students, wey end up traveling for night.
As dem don set sail, di darkness don catch dem and di boat don carry too many people come off for di shore. Midway for di journey, wahala begin, di boat just capsized because of overload. Thank God sey some of dem passengers survive, but six students don lost dem lives. E be like sey five bodies don recover, but dem still search for di sixth person wey still dey missing.
Another witness talk say di blame for di accident na gross overloading. Dem mention sey di boat dey carry over 45 passengers plus two vehicles full with food items, talkless of di more than 20 people wey dey inside. Pastor Jethro Moor, wey be relative of one of di victims, don confirm say di students na from Gbeji for Ukum Local Government Area. Dem dey travel back to Gboko to continue dia school.
Pastor Moor don talk sey di weight too much for di boat, especially as dem dey do bridge construction wey don make di navigable path narrow. Di chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Raymond Zege Aondoakura, don confirm di kasala on Tuesday, sey security agencies dey handle di matter and rescue teams dey comb di river for any traders wey fit still dey trap.
When dem ask am how many people don die, Aondoakura just reply, “When police finish dem investigation, you fit call me,” and e no wan talk again. Meanwhile, di Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Dennis Iyaghigba, don express im sadness over di tragedy, say e be like wake-up call to di dangers of overloading for river transportation. E talk sey dem don start full investigation to know wetin cause di wahala, plus any safety regulation wey dem fit break.
Di Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, don talk sey dem never receive formal report about di incident yet. Buruku River na one of di many rivers for di state wey people dey use boat cross enter other local government areas like Logo and Ukum, because dem no get bridge. Since time dey long, even military regime don dey promise to build bridge wey go ease travel for di area, but na still story we dey hear.
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