Eight passengers are feared drowned after two speed boats collided in the Ikang axis of Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The incident occurred on September 6, 2026, at about 12:14 p.m., while one of the boats, a W23 speed boat carrying 13 Nigerian passengers, was travelling from Ikang towards the Republic of Cameroon through Cameroon territorial waters around the Tikoro area.

According to the Cross River State Police Command, the boat collided with another W23 speed boat fitted with a double Yamaha engine.

Five passengers were rescued alive with the assistance of local fishermen in Cameroon, while eight others were feared drowned in the collision.

The bodies of those feared drowned were subsequently brought to Simon Beach in Ikang, Bakassi Local Government Area.

Confirming the incident yesterday, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, said the Marine Police in Ikang had been directed to ensure that the recovered bodies were properly identified by their families.

He said the bodies would thereafter be deposited at a morgue, while the command continued to monitor developments surrounding the incident.

Eitokpah said the police were also liaising with relevant authorities and the affected families as efforts continued to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision.

He added that the command would provide further information as soon as more details were verified.