Tragedy struck in Sokoto State as a boat capsized in the Shagari Local Government Area of the State, leaving several passengers feared missing.
Officials from the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) have been dispatched to the scene for search and rescue operations.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu at the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Aminu Bodinga, confirmed this to journalists on Friday.
According to him, SEMA officials are working in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to rescue survivors and recover victims.
Bodinga said the ill-fated boat was carrying several passengers when it capsized, throwing everyone on board into the river.
The governor’s aide, however, could not provide the exact figures of casualties, but locals expressed fear that most passengers on board might not survive the accident.
At the time of filing this report, SEMA officials were working with NEMA and NIWA in conducting rescue operations.
The latest incident came less than two weeks after another boat accident in the state claimed at least three lives and left over 20 missing.
In June 2025, seven people lost their lives in a canoe accident while traveling from Gidan Husaini to Gwargawu village in Kambama ward of Shagari Local Government Area of the state.
The victims were said to be on a routine trip across the river when the canoe capsized, leading to the accident.
