Sokoto Boat Accident: 26 People Rescued So Far — Lawmaker

The member representing Goronyo-Gada Federal Constituency of Sokoto in the House of Representatives, Bashir Gorau, has disclosed that 26 persons have been rescued so far following the recent boat accident in the state.

Gorau spoke on Tuesday, a few days after about 40 people were feared missing after a boat carrying more than 50 passengers to a market, capsized on Sunday morning in Sokoto.

“So currently, the situation is under monitoring, and our local king of our waters, like Sarkin Ruwas, they are doing their best to continue rescuing operations, and so far so good, they have succeeded in rescuing 26 people out of the predicted number,” the lawmaker told the crew of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.

“Out of the predicted numbers, 25 men were rescued, and one woman was also among the rescued people, making the number 26. We have succeeded in getting the cooperation of the [Sokoto] Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRRBDA) to close the water release from the Goronyo Dam temporarily for two days so that the water will go down, so that those local water kings will continue the rescue operation to see how they can recover those people that are still missing.”

Figures from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had earlier indicated that about 40 persons were feared dead in the boat accident.

However, Gorau believes, “there is not an actual predicted number of those that are missing” from the tragic incident.

“It’s just an assumption that 40 or 50 people are actually missing, but there is no citation of how many numbers of people are still missing,” the member of the House of Representatives clarified.

Describing the incident as a “tragedy,” the lawmaker lamented the recurrence of similar issues.

 “It’s something that has been a persistent occurrence over time,” he said, attributing the latest boat accident to “the lack of adherence to the safety measures for the local water transportation; local waterway users”.

The Sokoto boat accident adds to the rising number of similar incidents across the country.

In August 2024, at least 16 farmers died in a similar accident when a wooden canoe carrying them across a river to their rice fields capsized in Sokoto state.

Before that —in May of that year — a boat accident claimed the lives of at least 27 people in the Gbajibo community in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The Kwara tragedy occurred barely seven months after a similar incident claimed the lives of 100 people in the area.