Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has condoled with the families of 29 farmers and traders who died after a boat capsized while sailing along the Yobe/Kumadugu River in the state.

The governor described the incident as a colossal loss to the state and to the families of the deceased.

In a statement issued yesterday in Damaturu by his Director General of Media and Press Affairs, Mamman Mohammed, Buni said: “It is with a heavy heart that I received the devastating news of the boat mishap in Nguru Local Government Area, which claimed 29 lives, with 11 others still missing.”

He said only 13 passengers had been rescued, two days after the mishap occurred along the river flowing into Lake Chad in Borno State.

Buni prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and directed that the rescued passengers receive free medical treatment by the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency team and other volunteers involved in the rescue operation.

“I pray that more survivors will be rescued to join their families in Nguru and adjoining communities in the local council,” he said.

The governor also approved the release of N500,000 to support the burial of the deceased, in accordance with Islamic rites.

Meanwhile, Buni directed SEMA, the Fire Service and the Nguru Local Government to mobilise additional rescue teams to intensify the search for the remaining 11 persons still missing.

The accident occurred on Saturday at about 7:35 p.m., when a canoe carrying 52 passengers from Adiyani in Jigawa State to Garbi in Nguru Local Government Area capsized, killing 29 people.

The governor warned against overloading boats and travelling at night on rivers and streams across the state, noting that such practices increase the risk of accidents caused by submerged objects and tree trunks in the Lake Chad basin.

He further directed the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mohammed Goje, to provide immediate support to the affected families as search and rescue operations continue.