The prolonged neglect of the collapsed Namnai Bridge in Taraba State has reportedly resulted in another tragedy after a vehicle carrying two workers returning from Gassol Local Government Area plunged into a flooded river while attempting to cross by ferry.
The incident, as gathered by DAILY POST, occurred when the vehicle conveying the workers, who were reportedly engaged in a solar project in Gassol, collided with another ferry in the middle of the river.
According to information obtained by our reporter, the workers were on their way to Jalingo for a break when the accident occurred at the alternative river crossing being used by motorists and residents following the collapse of the Namnai Bridge.
The river was reportedly overflowing at the time of the incident, with strong currents sweeping through the crossing point and making ferry operations increasingly dangerous.
Both occupants of the vehicle were said to have fallen into the water following the collision. While one of the workers was rescued, the second victim remained missing as of the time of filing this report.
Witnesses who confirmed the incident expressed fears that the missing victim may have been swept away by the strong current, while efforts to establish his whereabouts were reportedly ongoing.
The rescued worker was too distressed to provide detailed information about the incident but confirmed that they were travelling from Gassol towards Jalingo.
The latest incident has again drawn attention to the dangers confronting commuters who have been forced to rely on alternative river crossings since the Namnai Bridge became impassable.
Residents of the affected communities expressed frustration over what they described as the prolonged failure of the authorities to restore the vital bridge, which they said was washed away by flooding in August 2024.
Speaking with our reporter, a resident, Balarebe Usman, expressed concern over the continued use of the river crossing and alleged that several lives had been lost since the bridge collapsed.
Usman said residents were surprised that the relevant authorities had yet to provide a permanent solution to the problem more than two years after the bridge was washed away.
“We are really surprised that the relevant authorities have not deemed it necessary to come to our rescue since this bridge was washed away by flood in August 2024,” he said.
He also accused politicians of abandoning the rehabilitation of the bridge while focusing their attention on political activities ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
“What is baffling most of us is the way and manner our politicians who ought to have worked round the clock to ensure that the bridge is fixed have abandoned such a responsibility by going about campaigning,” Usman said.
Another resident, Rabi Yunusa, described the situation as a painful example of what she termed “man’s inhumanity to man,” lamenting that the bridge had remained in a deplorable state despite alleged promises by both the state and federal governments to address the problem.
She said the continued reliance on the temporary river crossing had exposed residents, motorists and other road users to avoidable risks.
The latest incident has renewed calls for urgent intervention to restore the Namnai Bridge and end dependence on the hazardous alternative crossing.
For residents and frequent road users, the accident has once again brought the human cost of the prolonged closure of the bridge into sharp focus, with growing concerns that more lives could be endangered if a permanent solution is not provided.
Two years after Taraba bridge collapse, Namnai river crossing claims another victim