As floods ravage Jigawa, unregulated boat transport increases death toll
In early September, Aliyu Husseini, a boat operator in Jigawa, northwestern Nigeria, was arrested and detained by police after his boat capsized, killing eight passengers.
The police subsequently released Mr. Husseini without charge. He told PREMIUM TIMES he has since returned to work: transporting passengers in his shallow dinghy without providing them with life jackets.
Aliyu Husseini, boat operator at Birnin Kudu collapsing bridge (Photo credit: Premium Times/Ahmadu Maishanu)Residents of Birnin Kudu, where Mr. Husseini does business, had to move by canoe after a flood washed away the bridge that connected the area to neighboring Kano state.
DownpourSince torrential rains began in August, flooding has displaced thousands of people and killed more than 100 across the state. Many families also lost their homes, livestock and farmland. The floods also destroyed infrastructure such as dams and bridges and washed away several roads.
Ship transportation in the state is not regulated. As a result, operators often overload their boats and rarely provide life jackets to commuters.
In early September, Aliyu Husseini, a boat operator in Jigawa, northwestern Nigeria, was arrested and detained by police after his boat capsized, killing eight passengers.
The police subsequently released Mr. Husseini without charge. He told PREMIUM TIMES he has since returned to work: transporting passengers in his shallow dinghy without providing them with life jackets.
Aliyu Husseini, boat operator at Birnin Kudu collapsing bridge (Photo credit: Premium Times/Ahmadu Maishanu)Residents of Birnin Kudu, where Mr. Husseini does business, had to move by canoe after a flood washed away the bridge that connected the area to neighboring Kano state.
DownpourSince torrential rains began in August, flooding has displaced thousands of people and killed more than 100 across the state. Many families also lost their homes, livestock and farmland. The floods also destroyed infrastructure such as dams and bridges and washed away several roads.
Ship transportation in the state is not regulated. As a result, operators often overload their boats and rarely provide life jackets to commuters.
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