The victims of the canoe accident in Jigawa State were laid to rest on Monday, after the bodies discovered during ongoing search operations were buried according to Islamic customs.
previously reported that the Jigawa State Government confirmed the deaths of six people, while 23 others were rescued.
Search attempts are ongoing to locate any remaining victims.
Governor Umar Namadi, along with other top government officials, attended the funeral prayers at the Malamawar Yandutse Juma’at Mosque in Ringim Local Government Area.
The governor expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the deceased to rest in peace.
He also ordered the urgent construction of a bridge across the river to avoid future tragedies.
Following the funeral, Umar Habibu, the Village Head of Malamawar Yandutse, stated that the community had experienced similar incidents in the past but had never seen a disaster of this scale.
“Every year we record one or two deaths but we have never witnessed a tragedy like this,” he said.
Habibu linked the frequent incidents to the lack of a bridge across the river, stating that inhabitants have no choice but to rely on canoes for transit.
He explained that building the bridge would connect roughly 15 adjacent communities to the main road, increase traffic flow, and make it easier for farmers to transfer their food to markets.