[1] On 11 June, a wedding took place in Egboti (alternatively spelled as Egbu) village in Pategi, Kwara State, Nigeria.
[6][7] Lax safety regulations, lack of life vests, overloading, and poor ship maintenance often lead to fatal boating incidents.
[3] In 2021, Nigeria experienced two major boating accidents, one in May with a ship that was carrying 160 passengers aboard that ultimately left at least 98 dead,[9] and another in November that resulted in 76 deaths.
[8] The Transition Implementation Committee Chairman of Pategi, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Liman stated that people from his village of Ebu were heading to another wedding in Gboti.
[4] In the early hours of 12 June,[14] between 3 and 4 am (WAT), high waves swept the boat up and it collided with a tree branch hidden within the waters of the Niger River, splitting the vessel in two.
[12][18] Police chief Okasanmi Ajayi said that a team was deployed to the area to assess what happened and that the search would continue until the night of 14 June.
The Chairman of the Transition Implementation Committee of Pategi Local Government Council, Mohammed Ibrahim Liman, confirmed the death toll and stated that the rescue operation had been completed.
The Area Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority attributed the boat mishap to overloading and turbulent winds.
In response to the tragedy, the Kwara State Governor, Malam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, visited the families of the victims and announced safety measures to prevent future incidents.
Officials, including the Managing Director of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, emphasized the need for mandatory life jacket usage and a law to restrict nighttime boat operations.
[5] Mai-Martaba Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Chiefs, offered thoughts and prayers to the affected ones, stating "Our hearts and prayers are with you at this auspicious moment and may Almighty Allah give you all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss this incident might cause you".