The lawmaker representing Goronyo-Gada Federal Constituency, Bashir Gorau, has confirmed that 26 people have been rescued after Sunday’s boat accident in Sokoto State.
The tragedy occurred when a boat carrying over 50 passengers heading to a local market capsized, leaving dozens feared missing. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Gorau gave an update on the rescue efforts.
“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,” he said.
He added that of those rescued, “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.”
Initial figures from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) suggested that around 40 passengers may have died. But Gorau argued that the exact number of missing persons remains unclear.
“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,” he clarified.
Calling the accident a “tragedy,” the lawmaker expressed concern over its frequency in the region.
“It’s something that has been a persistent occurrence over time,” he said, blaming the disaster on “the lack of adherence to the safety measures for the local water transportation; local waterway users.”
The Sokoto incident is the latest in a series of deadly boat accidents in Nigeria. In August 2024, 16 farmers drowned when their canoe capsized in the state. Just months earlier, in May 2024, a similar tragedy in Kwara’s Gbajibo community left at least 27 dead. That accident came barely seven months after another mishap in the same area claimed 100 lives.
