Sokoto: Scores Feared Dead In Fresh Boat Mishap

Barely one week after six people were confirmed dead in a canoe mishap at Garin-Faji in Sabon-Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the state has witnessed another boat accident in Shagari Local Government Area.

The incident, which occurred on Thursday evening, is the third boat accident in Sokoto within one month.

Confirming the development in a statement on Friday, the Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Aminu Liman Bodinga, said officials from SEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) had launched search and rescue operations at the scene.

“Our rescue teams are on the ground, working with local divers to account for every passenger. For now, we cannot give a definitive figure until operations are concluded,” Bodinga stated.

According to the report, eyewitnesses recounted that the ill-fated boat was overloaded with passengers, which led to its capsizing mid-river, as all occupants were thrown into the water.

While the exact number of casualties is still being ascertained, there’s apprehension that many may have drowned.

The incident comes on the heels of the August 22 accident in Garin-Faji, Sabon-Birni, where NEMA confirmed that six people died and three others remained missing after a canoe carrying 30 passengers capsized.

In that incident, 21 people, including two canoe operators, survived, while efforts to recover the missing continued.

Residents and maritime experts in Sokoto have decried the recurring accidents, attributing them to poor safety practices, lack of motorised boats, overloading, and non-provision of life jackets for passengers.

The Sokoto State Government is expected to release a comprehensive statement after rescue and recovery efforts are concluded.