News
Many feared dead as boat capsizes in River Niger
No fewer than eight persons are feared dead in Friday morning boat accident that occurred near Dambo-Ebuchi section of the River Niger.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) confirmed the boat accident involving no fewer than 200 passengers including market women and farm labourers being conveyed from Lokoja in Kogi to the Katcha weekly market in Niger State.
The Head of Media Department of NIWA, Mr Suleman Makama, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja.
He said that the passengers mostly market women and labourers were on their way to the market in Niger State when the boat capsized on the Dambo-Ebuchi sections of River Niger.
Makama said “It’s true that there was a boat mishap on Friday morning involving quite a number of women going to the market in Niger State.
“We are still investigating to ascertain the number of people involved as well as what led to the accident.”
He said that clearance was being awaited from the management before he could issue official statement where details of the incident would be provided.
However, eyewitnesses said that the boat, which belonged to one Musa Dangana, was conveying its passengers to the Katcha weekly market in Niger State.
An eyewitness said eight bodies had been recovered, while search and rescue operations continue to locate the remaining passengers.
NAN reports that the Managing Director NIWA, Mr Bola Oyebanji, recently identified human errors, drugs and disobedience to the rules and regulations as the major causes of most boat mishaps which occurred in the past three years
Oyebanji stated this while fielding questions from the members of the House of Representatives Committee on NIWA who were on oversight function to its the Headquarters on Wednesday in Lokoja.
He reaffirmed NIWA’s commitment to the safety of Nigerians using water transportation .
“Ninety- nine percent of the mishaps on the waterways were a result of human errors; research has shown that the operators are committing avoidable mistakes which shouldn’t have caused havoc,” he said
Oyebanji noted that some of the operators lived on drugs to influence their activities to make them high and eventually make unpardonable mistakes.
He added that some operators were indifferent to following rules and regulations, stressing “imagine wooden boats taking over 150 to 200 passengers at a go, over and above its capacity”. (NAN)
The Association of Scavengers, Scrap Dealers, and Recyclers, Abuja, has publicly dissociated itself from a Federal High Court suit filed by unregistered scavengers and beggars against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the association’s chairman, Mallam Muntari Mohammed, clarified that the group is a duly registered body, with members holding valid identity cards and engaging in legitimate waste management, scrap trading, and recycling businesses.
He stressed that the association has always complied with the FCT Administration’s rules and regulations, maintaining a clean record.
Muntari noted that the association had formally written to the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant agencies to affirm its commitment to safeguarding critical infrastructure and adhering to stipulated guidelines.
He distanced the group from unregistered scavengers, whom he accused of tarnishing the reputation of legitimate operators through theft and other illicit activities.
The chairman addressed the FCT Minister’s recent ban on scavenging, which stemmed from misunderstandings about the distinction between honest scavengers and rogue elements.
“We have never confronted the FCT authorities and will never do so,” Muntari said, emphatically dissociating the association from the court case against Wike.
The Vatican has confirmed that only one round of voting will take place this Wednesday afternoon as the conclave to elect the next pope officially gets underway.
Cardinals from around the world gathered earlier Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel, where they took a sacred oath of secrecy before the chapel doors were ceremonially closed with the Latin phrase “extra omnes,” meaning “everyone out.” The papal master of ceremonies then declared the start of the conclave, invoking a centuries-old tradition whose name comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “locked with key.”
Wednesday’s solitary ballot marked the opening step in the process to choose the new leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. Should the vote prove inconclusive requiring a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope, cardinals will resume the process on Thursday, casting up to four ballots daily until consensus is reached.
Each cardinal votes by writing “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”) on a paper ballot, followed by the name of their chosen candidate. In a quiet and orderly procession, they approach the silver and gilded urn in order of seniority to place their ballots.
As the final vote is cast, the tension rises in St. Peter’s Square, where the faithful and millions watching around the globe await the first sign of smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. Black smoke will indicate that no decision has been made; white smoke will proclaim that a new pope has been elected.
The last two conclaves, in 2005 and 2013, ended on the second day, with Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis elected after a series of swift ballots, respectively.
As the doors remain closed and Vatican cameras withdraw, the world waits in hushed anticipation for the next chapter in the history of the Catholic Church to be written.
Governor Hyacinth Alia will not honour the House of Representatives Committee invitation scheduled for Thursday, May 8.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, confirmed this to journalists on Wednesday in Makurdi.
The House had summoned the governors of Benue and Zamfara, alongside their Assembly leadership.
Kula stated that the invitation is unconstitutional and the governor will not comply with it.
He explained that Alia has filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the lawmakers’ invitation.
“Yesterday, the Benue Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the Reps Committee invitation.
“They believe the invitation is based on ignorance and have decided not to attend. They will also challenge it in court,” he said.
Kula added that the governor, independently, has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the invitation’s legality.
He said: “Since the matter is in court, I will not speak further on it.”
Kula also claimed that the civil society group behind the petition is faceless and unregistered.
According to him, the address on the group’s letterhead is fake and lacks credibility.
He said there is a coordinated campaign of misinformation and sponsored protests aimed at destabilising Benue.
In recent weeks, he noted, there have been protests in Abuja allegedly representing Benue people’s concerns.
“These protests aim to provoke a state of emergency in Benue by portraying it in a negative light,” he said.
He claimed the organisers seek to undermine progress and return to a failed political order.
“Their ultimate goal is to create chaos for selfish political gain,” Kula added.
He accused the protest sponsors of trying to remove the governor through disruptive means.
“They will not succeed. Benue people stand firmly with their governor,” he said.
He assured the public that Benue remains peaceful and the government is functioning effectively.
“Governor Alia is committed to fulfilling his mandate and addressing the state’s challenges,” he said. (NAN)