‘I still dey see faces of deadbodi wey i comot from water’

Halilu Jafaru, boat driver for Bagwai town for Kano, northwest Nigeria say 12 years just be like yesterday for im eye as e remember 32 pipo wey die for boat accident as dem dey try carry bride go her husband house.

Im close friend Mahmud Bagwai na im drive di boat dat day and e say engine failure and panic na im make pipo die dat day.

“7pm don pass wen fellow driver and close friend Mahmud pack those pipo, 36 of dem inside di only boat wey di town get to carry dem go Bauda town just 15 minutes drive inside water, mostly na women and children full di boat because na bride dem dey carry go her husband house for Bauda town.”

“Na one boat we get so sometimes i drive and oda times Mahmud go drive, as we dey by di roadside na im somebody rush dey cry come tell us say boat accident don happun, na im me and some pipo rush go dia, jump inside di water.”

“Personally i comot 8 deadbodi from water and till dis day i still dey see dia faces if i lie down, na one of di saddest things wey i see for dis life, na only four pipo survive, one woman with her two children wey hold part of di boat as e come up and one Aminu Bagwai wey sabi swim.”

Halilu say di boat engine bin dey get small problem but if e off inside water dem dey on am back and e dey start.

“Di engine bin dey off and if we on am e go start again but on dat day wetin happun be say na night time and na women and children so dem come panic especially as dem see say small hole dey for di boat wey water dey enter small small.”

Halilu say apart from im close friend Mahmud e sabi all di 32 pipo wey die because Bagwai town dey operate as family and friends.

E yan say some months after di accident former Kano govnor Ibrahim Shekarau buy new boat for dem but dis na 3 years wey di boat spoil and nobody to help dem repair am.

“We don complain tire, since e spoil 3 years ago no job for me again, Bauda town wey be 15 minutes inside water for boat our pipo dey use one hour by road now because you have to pass through Bichi town wey far.”

“I be boat driver for ova 20 years and i no fit do anything else, make goment help us repair dis boat, i get two wives and 13 children wey i suppose dey feed even my son Shamsu na boat driver.”

Oda pipo for Bagwai town wey also speak to BBC say di lack of boat dey really affect dem as dem dey suffer wella to comot from di town to anoda place.