No fewer than 30 people are feared dead after a canoe capsized in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

An eyewitness told DAILY POST that the incident occurred at Malamawar Yandutse village on Sunday evening when the canoe, carrying about 40 passengers, mostly women and children, capsized.

He said rescue operations are still ongoing, and families have been asked to identify the bodies of the victims for burial.

Confirming the incident, the Director of Planning at the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Muhammad Bala Sanusi, said rescue operations were ongoing, and the exact number of casualties and survivors had yet to be confirmed.

According to the SEMA official, the exact cause of the accident has yet to be established. He said officials of the agency are still working alongside local residents to locate survivors and account for all passengers.

He added that the number of casualties could not be confirmed, as rescue operations were still in progress at the time this report was filed.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Emergency Management Committee, Malam Habibu Dauda, confirmed the incident, appealing to the public to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information until the relevant authorities release an official statement.

Details later…

The Nigerian Navy has continued to assert persistent operational control under Operation DELTA SENTINEL over known illegal refining hotspots in Rivers state, thereby frustrating repeated attempts to reactivate dismantled refining infrastructure.

This is contained in an operational report by the Director of Naval Information, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho on Sunday in Abuja.

Folorunsho in the report, recalled that on July 10, personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS, PATHFINDER, discovered and deactivated illegal refining sites within the Egbema axis of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area.

He said that in spite of that successful operation, criminal elements attempted to reactivate the sites, prompting sustained monitoring and follow-up anti-crude oil theft operations by the navy.

“During the latest operation, NNS PATHFINDER personnel rediscovered and deactivated two reactivated illegal refining sites, recovering approximately 76,000 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil.

“They also recovered 50,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, concealed in seven dugout pits and reservoirs, bringing the total volume of recovered petroleum products to over 126,000 litres.

“The operation demonstrates the navy’s determination to deny crude oil thieves the opportunity to regain operational footholds or rebuild illegal refining infrastructure within its area of responsibility,” he said.

The director of naval information also said that all illegal refining sites and recovered products were handled in accordance with established anti-crude oil theft procedures, while sustained operational pressure continued across identified criminal enclaves.

The naval spokesperson reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations to dismantle illegal refining infrastructure, disrupt crude oil theft networks, protect critical national assets, and support Nigeria’s economic security.

Troops of the 247 Reconnaissance Battalion have intercepted 15 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol, during a fighting patrol in Mubi North Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

This was disclosed in a statement by security expert, Zagazola Makama on Sunday.

Zagazola said that the operation was conducted between 10:30 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. on July 17 along the Muchalla road, following intelligence on the smuggling of petroleum products through the border corridor.

He  said the troops intercepted 15 jerrycans containing suspected smuggled PMS during the patrol.

According to him, the products were seized in line with ongoing efforts to curb the illegal movement of fuel, which is often diverted to support criminal and terrorist activities.

“The intercepted petroleum products have been taken into custody for further necessary action, while troops continue to intensify border patrols to disrupt the logistics networks of criminal elements operating within the North-East,” he said.