Six mourners are reportedly missing after a boat carrying more 70 people capsized on the Buruku River in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State on Saturday.

The incident reportedly occurred around 11am as the mourners, who were from neighbouring Gboko Local Government Area, were returning from a burial ceremony.

The Chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Raymond Zege, confirmed the incident, saying the boat’s engine reportedly developed a fault while it was on the river.
According to him, the occupants struggled to manoeuvre the boat and remain afloat before another boat arrived to rescue them.
He said the boat was overloaded and the occupants reportedly panicked as they encountered water waves, causing the vessel to sink.

Zege said, “There are over 70 people on board but we have not seen about six persons.”

The chairman also expressed concern over compliance with safety measures among commuters using the river crossing, noting that authorities had provided life jackets but enforcement had been difficult because some passengers complained that wearing them was uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Denis Iyaghigba, said preliminary reports indicated that a strong water current swept the boat into an abandoned barge at a corner of the river, causing it to overturn.

Iyaghigba urged families and members of the public to remain calm while authorities continued efforts to establish the facts and locate those still missing.

He said he had directed boat operators and their union downstream to mobilise and support the ongoing search and rescue operation.

A funeral ceremony in Aleto, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, reportedly turned tragic on Friday after a pastor collapsed and died while delivering a sermon on the certainty of death.

The cleric was identified as Deacon Steve Eyo, the Resident Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Aleto.

He was preaching before more than 300 mourners when he suddenly collapsed as he was concluding his message.

Eyo’s sermon was titled “The Certainty of Death and Hope Beyond.”

According to eyewitness accounts cited by multiple local news outlets, he began preaching at about 1:10 p.m., speaking about the inevitability of death and urging those present to live their lives with the awareness that nobody knows when death will come.

In illustrating his message, the pastor reportedly compared life to going to the market, explaining that some people leave early while others remain until later, just as some people die young while others live longer.

About 15 minutes into the sermon, at approximately 1:25 p.m., Eyo reportedly collapsed while rounding off his message.

His sudden fall initially confused some mourners, with eyewitnesses saying some thought the pastor was demonstrating the suddenness of death as part of his sermon.

The situation quickly became clear, however, as church ministers, choir members and others rushed to his aid.

People at the scene reportedly prayed for him while individuals with medical knowledge attempted to administer first aid.

He was subsequently taken to a nearby medical facility in the same ambulance that had been hired to convey the remains of the deceased person whose burial was taking place.

He was reportedly confirmed dead at the hospital, after which his remains were taken to a mortuary.

The circumstances surrounding Eyo’s death have not been publicly established in the reports reviewed, and no specific medical cause of death was disclosed.

However, the timing of the incident has left mourners and members of the Aleto community deeply shocked because of the subject of his final sermon.

According to eyewitness accounts, Eyo had urged the congregation to “number your days and prepare, for it can happen anytime” shortly before he collapsed.

The incident transformed what had begun as a solemn farewell for one deceased person into another moment of mourning, as attendees were confronted with the sudden death of the minister delivering the funeral sermon.p pm