A NEMA official and some residents during a search-and-rescue operation following a boat accident in Sokoto State Image: NEMA
By Valentine Amanze
Sokoto State government has confirmed the missing of many people following fresh boat misharp in the Shagari Local Government Area of the state.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu at the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Aminu Bodinga, who confirmed the tragedy on Friday, said that the incident occurred on Thursday, August 28, 2025.
He also disclosed that officials of the state emergency management agency had been dispatched to the scene of the accident for search and rescue operations.
He further disclosed that SEMA officials were working in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to rescue survivors and recover victims.
Bodinga said the ill-fated boat was carrying several passengers when it capsized, throwing everyone on board into the river.
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The governor’s aide, however, could not provide the exact figures of casualties, but locals expressed fear that most passengers on board might not survive the accident.
At the time of filing this report, SEMA officials were working with NEMA and NIWA in conducting rescue operations.
The latest incident came less than two weeks after another boat accident in the state claimed at least three lives and left over 20 missing.
In June 2025, seven people lost their lives in a canoe accident while traveling from Gidan Husaini to Gwargawu village in Kambama ward of Shagari Local Government Area of the state.
The victims were said to be on a routine trip across the river when the canoe capsized, leading to the accident.
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