No fewer than seven persons lost their lives in a boat mishap in Zhigiri village, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

It was gathered that among those killed were a husband, identified as Mallam Mu’azu Babangida, two of his wives and his eldest son.

The Spokesman for Coalition of Shiroro Association, Salis Mohamed Sabo, said the incident happened when the villagers were traveling to Dnaweto; a neighboring village in the hinterland for a naming ceremony at about 4pm on Sunday.

“Prior to the construction of Zungeru Dam, traveling between these two villages was by land because there was no water. Therefore, before before now, one doesn’t need water transportation, as the terrain was majorly dry and motorable. This is one of the social upheaval occasioned by the construction of the Zungeru dam,” he said, adding that the corpse of one of the victims was yet to be recovered from the water.

He called on the Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), to as a matter of urgency, respond to the devastating incidents and provide safety measures including life jackets among others, to help the local people adapt to their new way of life and to also prevent the future occurrence of the ugly incident.