Sokoto(Nigeria)August 18(HS): A desperate search is underway for more than 40 people feared missing after a boat carrying over 50 passengers capsized en route to Goronyo Market in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto State.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the incident on Sunday, deploying rescue teams to aid in the frantic operation. According to NEMA Director-General Zubaida Umar, at least 10 passengers have been pulled to safety, while dozens remain unaccounted for.
Initial reports suggest overloading may have caused the wooden vessel to overturn—a recurring hazard in Sokoto’s riverine communities. Such accidents are alarmingly common during Nigeria’s rainy season, when swollen rivers heighten the risks of waterway transport.
Just last month, a similar tragedy struck in Niger State when more than 13 people died after a boat carrying around 100 passengers went down. In another incident days later, six schoolgirls drowned on their way home from farm work in Jigawa State.
Sokoto itself has been no stranger to such heartbreak: in August 2024, at least 16 farmers perished when a canoe ferrying them to their rice fields capsized midstream.
As rescue efforts continue, the tragedy underscores the deadly vulnerabilities of water transport in rural Nigeria, where poor infrastructure and lax safety measures leave river travel both essential—and perilous.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
