Benue: Confusion over capsized boat

CONFUSION, onSunday, trailed thecapsized boat in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, on Saturday.Our sister publication, Sunday Tribune, had reported that the boat capsized on Agatu river, leading to the death of 65 people, mostly women and children, who were fleeing the flooded area to Lokoja.The member representing the constituency at the state House of Assembly, Honourable Sule Audu, told newsmen on phone that the incident occurred between 2.30 and 3.00 p.m on Saturday.But the chairman of the council, Momoh Audu, in a telephone conversation with the Nigerian Tribune on Sunday, said only eight people died in the boat mishap, stressing that a similar incident happened at Aila, where husband, wife and a kid lost their lives.Audu said the remains of the deceased at Aila were not found, but stated that victim of another incident, which claimed the lives of two people in the same community, were found and buried.He further said three other people at Ogumogo also lost their lives in a boat mishap, though their bodies are yet to be recovered at the time of filing this report.Also, the state Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment, Mr John Ngbede, who hails from the council, said nothing of such happened in the council, while the lawmaker representing the constituency insisted that the mishap was the greatest disaster ever happened to the council.He blamed leaders from the area for playing politics with the lives of people they were representing.
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