Nigeria boat mishap leaves at least 26 dead, says official

At least 26 people drowned when a boat carrying traders capsized on the River Niger in Nigeria's north-central Kogi State, a regional state official said on Thursday, the latest deadly waterway accident in the West African nation.

Kogi Commissioner for Information Kingsley Fanwo said in a statement that the passengers had been travelling on Wednesday from the district of Ibaji in Kogi State to a market in Ilushi, in neighbouring Edo State, when their vessel overturned.

Boat mishaps are common in Nigeria, where operators often overload vessels and ignore safety regulations such as the use of life jackets, despite repeated warnings from authorities.

Accidents tend to spike during the rainy season, now in full swing, when rivers swell and currents strengthen.

Boats remain a crucial form of transport in rural parts of Nigeria, where road infrastructure is often inadequate, but the enforcement of safety standards continues to lag.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh, editing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Gareth Jones)