BBC Pidgin of Thursday, 15 June 2023

Source: BBC

'I lose my three daughters wey bin wan marry all at once'

Aisha Mohammed Aisha Mohammed

Families of victims and survivors of di boat accident wey kill more dan 100 pipo for Patigi local goment of Kwara state, North Central Nigeria don begin tok about dia experiences.

One woman Aisha Mohammed, say three of her three daughters wey bin dey prepare to marry, all die for di boat accident.

Di woman explain say her daughters marriage bin don near before dem die.

Some oda families according to eye witnesses lose as high as ten pipo.

Some oda survivors tok about how many fathers bin dey hold some of dia children, and di ones wey dem no fit comot from di water die.

Some young men swim to safety wen di boat divide into two. Many of di travellers for di boat bin no get life jackets.

'Some women drown becos dem no gree leave dia children hand'

Mohammed Hassan wey be one of di survivors of di boat accident tell BBC say some of di women wey die for di boat accident suppose to survive, but dem no survive sake of say dem no gree leave dia children hand and dem sink togeda.

Anoda survivor Mohammed wey dey inside di boat with im sister say "my sister son wey dey eight years die."

Im list some of di tins wey dey inside di boat wey carry over 200 pipo inside.

"Di boat carry bags of rice, corn, groundnut, cement total 350 bags. Di pipo wey dey inside di boat na 273 e no reach di number of bags of rice wey dey inside."

Liman Umar Muhammed wey be Traditional ruler for Patigi say di disaster too much. E tell BBC Pidgin say some families lose more dan two pipo.

"One man lose im two wives and im five children, e also get family wey lose seven pipo, anoda family dey too wey lose ten pipo."

Rescue operations still dey go on

One local youth Volunteer Umar Ahmed, wey dey help with rescue operations tell BBC say dem still dey try to rescue pipo as rescue efforts still dey go on for di community. "Search and rescue operations still dey go on even though no particular team dey do am.

Anytime wey any deadbody float dem go go carry am.

Im add say for di previous days, some pipo from nearby villages bin dey wey go out for search.

At di time im grant di interview, im tok say no emergency of recue agencies from goment come. "Di feeling for di community dey very very tough." Im tok.

For more dan three days now, pipo for di community dey put in more efforts to try rescue victims and survivors.

According to di figures wey local rescuers give, dem suggest say 144 pipo survive di boat accident and 106 na im don die so far.

Ebo na one of di villages with di highest number of casualties. Locals say 61 travellers na im die from Ebo village alone.

According to dem, most of dem na women and children.

How di accident happun

Mohammed Hassan wey just finish im secondary school and get admission to further im education for Bauchi State, na one of di survivors.

Im explain wia dem dey go before di accident happun.

"My village and our neighbouring village pipo go for wedding occassion, as we dey come back, we neva even reach half kilometre wen di boat break.

Afta di boat break, we no even know wetin to do, so di old men for our boat tell all di young men to jump inside di water and start to swim."

Im narrate say afta di young men jump inside di water na women remain and most of dem no sabi how to swim.

"So as di boat begin to sink down na so di women just sitdown inside di boat, dem no fit do anytin."

Im say most of di pipo wey die na women and children between five to ten years and some, dia mama still carry dem for hand and na event wey dem no go forget easily for dia community.

"Dis na di most unforgettable memory wey we no go forget easily for our community, married women wey die na 17, di ones wey neva marry na 3 di rest na children.

"Many pipo for di boat no wear life jackets and na local pipo dey operate di boat."

Kwara state gomet promise life jackets

Di Govnor of Kwara state AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq promise to give di community one thousand life jackets.

Dis na to start safety education for di pipo wey dey use di water ways.

Im don start tok-tok with di Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority on di best wey wey dem go use enforce safety regulations for di waterways.

Di Kwara State goment make di promise dem afta e pay condolence visit to communities wey di boat mishap affect for Patigi Local Government.

Meanwhile, some pipo don already continue with dia lives as dem don begin use di same kind of boat to cross di river again.