'Tragedy Too Heavy to Bear’: Survivor Narrates How 37 Drowned in Traumatic Kwara Boat Accident

 

On May 15, at least 37 traders died in a boat accident in Gbajibo River in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Most of the victims were travelling from a weekly market in Niger State when the accident occurred. The boat, said to have a capacity of 100 passengers, was overloaded and this eventually led to the accident.

On Sunday, Salihu Mudassir, a survivor, narrated how he managed to stay alive when the incident happened.

“I was on the boat that day. Before we boarded, it had already started raining. Some people suggested that we wait for the rain to stop, while others insisted that we should go ahead. Many were eager to return home. Eventually, we decided to board the boat despite the weather,” Mudassir recounted.

“As we set off, the water started acting strangely — it became rough and unstable. After a while, water began entering the boat, and it felt like we were about to sink. That was when people started jumping into the river.

“Those who could swim tried to save themselves. But even if you know how to swim, there’s a limit to what your body can endure. Without help, it becomes very difficult to survive.”

AN OVERLOADED AND CROWDED BOAT

Mudassir went on to state that the boat only had the capacity to transport 80 passengers but was overloaded with a lot of humans and cargo. He also confirmed that it had not travelled far when the crash happened.

“We had gone quite far. We couldn’t go back to where we started, and at the same time, reaching our destination felt impossible. We were stuck in the middle of the river, with no way forward or backward,” said Mudassir.

“At that point, the river became very rough. Honestly, my heart was pounding with fear. I didn’t know if I was going to survive.”

Mudassir said not jumping into the river too early saved his life.

“You see, most of the people who died were those who jumped into the river too early. In such a moment, you have to stay calm, assess the situation, and act wisely. If the boat is about to sink and you can swim, there’s a chance you might survive — but panic can kill,” the trader said.

“I jumped and started swimming. But even in the water, it was not easy. People were holding onto each other, crying, struggling. In that kind of situation, you can’t even help your own father, because if someone grabs you out of panic, both of you might drown. It was heartbreaking. I had to swim while avoiding the crowd. It was a matter of survival.”

STAYING FOCUSED, SWIMMING TO SAFETY

The trader spoke on how he stayed focused and avoided swimming into a crowd in the river till he swam to safety.

“When I started swimming, most of the others were already ahead of me. As I said earlier, I couldn’t turn back, and I couldn’t swim into the crowd either. If anyone had grabbed me, we would both have drowned because I wasn’t strong enough to carry anyone,” Mudassir explained.

“So, I stayed focused and swam towards our destination, maintaining some distance from the others. It was heart-breaking. As I swam, I saw people getting tired. Some would be swimming and then suddenly go under. There was nothing anyone could do to help them.

“Some people were crying, others were praying. But honestly, more people were crying than praying, because not everyone could maintain the presence of mind to pray in that kind of situation. Everyone was simply trying to survive.

“Even now, when I remember it, I still cry. Watching people drown — people who were strong and alive just moments before — was deeply traumatic. Some were too tired to continue. We lost many people.

“Some of those who died were my family members, some were neighbours, and some were close friends. This kind of tragedy is too heavy to bear. Losing over 30 people in a single incident is truly devastating.”