Eight dead after speedboats collide in Cross River waters

Eight passengers are feared drowned after two speedboats collided in waters near Cameroon, exposing again the risks faced by people who depend on waterways to move between Nigeria’s remote riverine communities and neighbouring countries.

The collision happened on September 6 at about 12:14 p.m. in the Tikoro area of Cameroonian territorial waters, according to the Cross River State Police Command, but has just been reported.

One of the boats, a W23 speedboat carrying 13 Nigerian passengers, was travelling from Ikang in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State towards Cameroon when it collided with another W23 speedboat fitted with two Yamaha engines.

Five passengers survived and were rescued with the help of local fishermen in Cameroon, while eight others were feared drowned, the police said.

The bodies were later brought back to Simon Beach in Ikang, where the Marine Police have been directed to ensure they are identified by their families before being deposited at a morgue.

The police have not yet established what caused the collision.

The command said it was working with relevant authorities and the affected families to establish the circumstances of the incident and would release further information once details had been verified.

When waterways become lifelines

For communities around the Bakassi Peninsula, waterways are more than transport routes. They are part of the infrastructure through which people travel, trade and connect with communities across a landscape where roads can be difficult or unavailable. That makes the safety of boats and waterways a public-interest issue as much as a transport issue.

The latest deaths come against a backdrop of repeated concerns over safety on Nigeria’s waterways. In 2025, the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, announced restrictions on unauthorised loading points and said commercial passenger boats must provide and enforce the use of life jackets. The agency also directed that unlicensed boats and watercraft be removed from the waterways.

Earlier that year, the federal government inaugurated a special committee to examine the causes of boat mishaps and recommend measures to improve safety on Nigeria’s waterways. The committee was given six weeks to complete its work.

A 2026 policy brief by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies identified recurring problems associated with boat accidents in Nigeria, including overloading, lack of life jackets, poor vessel maintenance, night travel and weak enforcement of safety regulations. But those factors should not be assumed to have caused the Cross River collision until authorities complete their investigation.

The risks are particularly significant in riverine areas, where waterways can be essential to everyday mobility and livelihoods.

A deadly boat accident in Sokoto in August killed at least 50 people, according to Reuters, with witnesses reporting that more than 70 people may have been aboard. Reuters described overcrowding, poor maintenance and weak enforcement of safety rules as recurring factors in Nigeria’s waterway accidents, particularly during the rainy season.