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Nigerian Navy gunboat capsizes near Chevron facility in Warri South-West LGA.
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Three naval officers, three civilians confirmed dead; search for missing ongoing.
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Tragedy strikes during Navy’s free medical outreach in riverine communities.
At least six people have been confirmed dead and three others remain missing after a Nigerian Navy gunboat capsized on Thursday evening in Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.
The ill-fated vessel, identified as EPENAL Gunboat DE 24, was conveying 15 passengers, including nine naval personnel and six civilians, when it overturned near a Chevron Nigeria Limited facility at LAT 05°36.408’N / LONG 005°11.982’E.
Casualties and Rescue Efforts
The Navy’s search and rescue team managed to pull 12 occupants from the water and rushed them to Chevron’s clinic for emergency medical care. However, six individuals were declared dead on arrival.
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The deceased include:
- Commander J.O. Eidangbe
- Petty Officer Abolarinwa
- Ordinary Seaman Tena
- Miss Chinenye and Miss Dorcas (both NYSC corps members)
- Master Destiny, the boat operator.
Three people, including Lieutenant D.K. Nehemiah, Sub-Lieutenant Kwala, and Miss Uche, another corps member, are still unaccounted for as Navy divers continue recovery operations.
Outreach Overshadowed By Grief
The gunboat was returning from a free medical outreach organised by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta in collaboration with EMT Foundation as part of its civil-military relations programme.
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Speaking earlier in the day, Commodore Abdulazeez Zubairu, Commander of NNS Delta, reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to providing humanitarian services to riverine communities.
Residents of Okerenkoko and surrounding areas had praised the outreach, which offered free consultations, treatments, and health education, as a critical intervention in their underserved communities.
No Official Navy Statement Yet
The Nigerian Navy has yet to issue a formal statement on the incident. Grief hangs over the community as search operations continue for the three missing victims.
The Navy recently launched Operation Delta Sanity II to combat oil theft and improve civil-military cooperation in the Niger Delta.
