By Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
No fewer than three persons have died, and several others are missing after a boat capsized while ferrying commuters across the collapsed Namnai Bridge in the Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The tragic incident occurred on Friday night around 7:00 p.m.
Chairman of Inland Water Transporters in Taraba State, Jidda Mayoreniyo, confirmed the incident to newsmen, stating that the boat was transporting both passengers and vehicles when it went under.
He also said four drowned vehicles were recovered, while some passengers were rescued and others remain unaccounted for.
It was also gathered that luggage and personal belongings submerged in the mishap have yet to be recovered, further compounding the loss.
A concerned Taraban, Comrade Muhammad Isa lament on the incident, Comrade Muhammad Isa describe the incident as unfortunate.
Details as follows:
Three innocent souls are missing in the river, washed away by a system that sees the poor as expendable.
This accident is the direct consequence of criminal negligence by the federal and state government
For years, the Namnai Bridge on the Jalingo-Wukari federal road has remained broken. For years, leaders made promises, press releases, visits, photo ops but NO ACTION.
Today, people are dying because they are forced to cross the river on dangerous, unregulated ferries. The Federal Government failed to rebuild a critical bridge that connects Taraba to the rest of Nigeria.
The Taraba State Government failed to fight for us or provide alternatives. How many more lives must be lost before someone is held responsible?
Where is the outrage from those in power?
Where are the emergency rescue teams?
Where are the contracts, the bulldozers, the money allocated for infrastructure?
If this bridge were in Abuja or Lagos, it would have been fixed in a matter of weeks. But it’s in Taraba, so our lives don’t count.
Let it be known: the blood of the missing is on the hands of those in office, past and present who watched this disaster unfold and did NOTHING.
We demand:
Immediate reconstruction of the Namnai Bridge.
Full investigation into the cause of delay and who profited from it.
Compensation and justice for the affected families.
Regulation of ferry operations and deployment of emergency safety measures NOW.
This is not just about a bridge, it’s about dignity, justice, and the right to live.
If the government cannot protect the people, then what exactly is it there for?
Rest in peace to the lives we lost.
We will not forget. We will not be silent – he said.
The Namnai Bridge, which collapsed over a year ago, has forced commuters to rely on boats for transportation across the river, a situation commuters say has increasingly become dangerous.