Olu Samuel

The Kogi state commissioner for Agriculture, Timothy Ojomah has said that 15 more corpses have been recovered in addition to the 20 bodies recovered from last Tuesday boat mishap in Ibaji Local government area of the state.

The commissioner who spoke with our correspondent on Wednesday through text message said “As at this morning,15 corpses were recovered whilst almost 20 persons/corpses are yet to be accounted for”.

Ojomah put the occupants of the Ill fated boat at between 80 and 82 out of which 46 were rescued immediately.

“As at this morning, 15 corpses are recovered. Almost 20 persons/corpses are unaccounted for as at this morning. 80-82 persons were in the boat, 46 were rescued immediately,” the commissioner stated

Punch reports that the fully loaded boat departed from Onugwa community in Ibaji heading to Ilushi market, but capsized leaving yet to be identified numbers of people dead.

An eye witness account and a farmer in the local government area, James Otoga, said that “The boat was fully loaded with our people going to market for the first of October celebration”.

“Even those who came for a burial in Onugwa and returning back to Ilushi were also missing, we are yet to confirm the number of people onboard and those who survived” he stated.

He said that Only five survivors have surfaced yet and 20 bodies have been recovered so far and more of our people are lying lifeless beneath the river Niger.