Sokoto State has been hit by yet another boat tragedy, this time in Shagari Local Government Area, where a vessel carrying several passengers capsized, leaving many feared missing.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Emergency Management, Aminu Bodinga, confirmed the incident on Friday, August 29.
He said the accident happened on Thursday and that rescue teams had been deployed immediately.
According to him, officials of the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) are already on the ground, working alongside the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to save lives and recover victims.
“The ill-fated boat was carrying several passengers when it capsized, throwing everyone on board into the river,” Bodinga told journalists. He explained that the number of casualties could not yet be determined.
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Residents in the area have expressed fears that most of the passengers may not have survived the accident, given the scale of the mishap.
By Friday evening, rescue operations were still ongoing, with officials combing the river in hopes of finding survivors.
This latest disaster adds to a string of recent boat accidents in Sokoto. Less than two weeks ago, another mishap claimed at least three lives and left more than 20 people missing.
Earlier in June, seven passengers died when a canoe overturned on a routine trip between Gidan Husaini and Gwargawu village, also in Shagari.
The repeated accidents have once again thrown a spotlight on the dangers of river travel in Sokoto and the urgent need for safer water transport.