47 Feared Dead as Boat Capsizes in Sokoto

At least 47 bodies have been recovered following the capsizing of a canoe in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The incident occurred when the victims were travelling from the Gorau river crossing point to a nearby village and the canoe suddenly overturned, plunging the passengers into the water.

The Head of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Sokoto Operations Office, Alhaji Tukur Abubakar, confirmed the incident to Radio Nigeria on Friday.

Abubakar said rescue personnel were still searching for other passengers who might have been missing in the Goronyo Dam.

He said the search operation involved officials of NEMA, the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, security agencies, local divers and members of the Nigerian Red Cross Society.

The SEMA team, he added, was led by the Special Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor on Emergency Management, Alhaji Aminu Liman Bodinga.

Boat mishaps have remained a recurring challenge in parts of Sokoto State, with emergency agencies repeatedly attributing the incidents to overloading, use of unserviceable and non-standard boats, lack of life jackets and poor enforcement of safety regulations on inland waterways.

Available records indicate that more than 200 people have died in boat accidents in the state since 2023.

Residents in riverine communities have continued to call for urgent government action, including the provision of standard boats, life jackets and stronger enforcement of waterway safety regulations.

Despite previous promises by successive administrations to provide speed boats and life jackets, boat accidents continue to claim lives and destroy property in the affected communities.

The latest tragedy has again raised concerns over the safety of residents who depend on waterways as a major means of transportation.