Another tragedy has struck in Sokoto State following a boat accident in Shagari Local Government Area, leaving several passengers feared missing.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Aminu Bodinga, confirmed the incident to journalists on Friday.
He explained that the accident occurred on Thursday, noting that officials of SEMA had been dispatched to the scene to commence search and rescue operations in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
“The boat was carrying a number of passengers when it capsized, throwing everyone on board into the river,” Bodinga said, adding that the casualty figures were yet to be confirmed.
Locals, however, expressed fears that many of the victims might not have survived. Rescue teams from SEMA, NEMA, and NIWA were still combing the river at the time of filing this report.
This latest accident comes barely two weeks after a similar tragedy in the state claimed at least three lives, with more than 20 people reported missing.
In June 2025, seven people were also killed in a canoe mishap along the Gidan Husaini–Gwargawu route in Kambama Ward, Shagari Local Government Area, underscoring the recurring boat accidents in Sokoto’s riverine communities.
