Posted by 20 drowned in Benue Boat mishap on
At least twenty persons are feared dead in a boat mishap which occurred on Sunday morning on River Benue, close to the University of Agriculture in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State
Daily Sun gathered that the victims had all boarded the ill fated boat to escape from their abode in Rugan-Fulani, Imande-Dam Village in Uvir Council area of Guma Local Government after some of their people allegedly macheted a 24 year old man by name, Sarakuna Uhumba to death.
It was learnt that the boat may have capsized due to over loading as over 40 Fulanis were said to be in it with their belongings when it suddenly sank. The Fulanis were said to be running away from being attacked by their neighbours after some of them allegedly murdered an innocent boy.
Confirming the story, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Emmanuel Deebom said at least 40 Fulanis boarded the ill-fated boat at about 5am on Sunday and loaded it beyond its capacity to escape from an impending attack.
He, however, pointed out that 20 of them were rescued alive while the rest got drowned, explaining that at the time of the report, ten bodies have so far been recovered, adding that a search party was still on the look out at the scene of the tragedy to recover more bodies.
'A search party comprising of the Marine Police and some Fulanis are still searching for the rest corpses. Information reaching us is that the boat may have been overloaded because the incident occurred when 40 Fulanis packed all their luggage into the boat to run away from their abode," he stated.
Deebom noted that Mr. Ukumbar-Dam of Imande-Dam Village reported at the police station that a 24 year old boy had been killed by some Fulanis, who attacked the deceased and his father, one Barnabas Nyietagher while he was conveying his son on a Jencheng motorbike to their residence at Pakena.
He told newsmen that the police visited the scene of the murder, recovered the corpse of the deceased and deposited it at the General Hospital Morgue in North Bank area of Makurdi.
By ROSE EJEMBI, Makurdi.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007