Five farmers drown as canoe capsizes in Niger

Five farmers, comprising four males and one female, have drowned after a canoe conveying them to their farmland capsized while crossing River Kuji in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.

Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), disclosed this in Minna.

Baba-Arah, who spoke on Monday, said the incident occurred in the morning of August 15, 2026 when the victims left Shaba Woshi village for their farmland across the river.

He identified the victims as Yahaya Abubakar, Usman Abubakar, Lamin Hussaini, Baba Ahmadu, and Salihu Aliyu, all residents of Shaba Woshi village.

According to him, the victims travelled from the village to Katcha, where they boarded a canoe to cross River Kuji to access their farmland when the canoe capsized.

He said the incident had thrown the community into mourning, adding that efforts were ongoing to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and the fate of the victims.