Boat Mishap Claims 8 Lives On Ikang-Cameroon Route In Cross River, 5 Rescued

A boat mishap on the Ikang-Cameroon waterways has claimed eight lives, with five other passengers rescued alive, the Cross River State Police Command has confirmed.

The incident, which occurred in the Ikang axis of Bakassi Local Government Area, in Cross River State involved two W23 speed boats.

According to the Police police Public Relations Officer PPRO Sunday Eitokpah, the crash happened on September  6, 2026, when a boat carrying 13 Nigerian passengers sailing from Ikang towards the Republic of Cameroon through Cameroonian territorial waters around Tikoro “collided with another W23 speed boat fitted with a double Yamaha engine.”

Eight passengers on board drowned in the collision, while five were rescued with the help of local fishermen in Cameroon. The Police  PPRO said the victims were on a routine trip from Ikang to Cameroon when the tragedy struck.

The bodies of those feared drowned have been recovered and brought to Simon Beach, Ikang, in Bakassi LGA.

The Command said it has directed the Marine Police, Ikang, “to ensure that the recovered bodies are properly identified by their respective families and deposited at the morgue,” while it continues to liaise with relevant authorities and affected families to “establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”