Five farmers, comprising four males and one female, have been feared dead after a canoe conveying them to their farmland capsized while crossing River Kuji in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, disclosed this in Minna, the state capital, on Monday, August 17, 2026.
Baba-Arah said the incident occurred on Saturday, August 15, when the victims left Shaba Woshi village for their farmland across the river.
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Baba-Arah identified the victims as Yahaya Abubakar, Usman Abubakar, Lamin Hussaini, Baba Ahmadu, and Salihu Aliyu – all residents of Shaba Woshi village.
He said the farmers travelled from the village to Katcha, where they boarded a canoe to cross River Kuji to access their farmland when the canoe capsized.
He stated that 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.
