Seven oriole people have been killed in a boat mishap in Zhigiri village, Shiroro local government area of Niger State.
Eyewitnesses said the incident happened at about 4pm on Sunday when the villagers were in there way to Dnaweto; a neighboring village in the hinterland, for a naming ceremony.
Among the victims were a man, identified as Mallam Mu’azu Babangida, two of his wives and his son.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE gathered that the corpse of one of the victims was yet to be recovered from the water.
The spokesperson for Coalition of Shiroro Association, Salis Mohamed Sabo, said persistent boat mishaps in the communities was occassioned by the construction of Zungeru Dam.
“Before now, one doesn’t need water transportation, as the terrain was majorly dry and motorable,” he said.
“This is one of the social upheaval occasioned by the construction of the Zungeru dam.
Sabo urged the Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission,(HYPPADEC) to respond urgently to the incidents and provide safety measures, which he said should include life jackets ” to help the local people adapt to their new way of life and to also prevent the future occurrence of the ugly incident.”
