- The officials promised that government agencies would not relent until the three missing persons are accounted for.
A fatal boat accident in Sokoto State has left at least six people dead, casting a dark cloud of grief and sorrow over Garin-Faji Village in Sabon-Birni Local Government Area where the incident happened
Three other persons are missing from the mishap which happened around 5:30 a.m. on Friday, 22nd August 2025.
The boat, filled with dozens of passengers, capsized while crossing a local water channel, tossing its occupants into the river in the process, locals said.
The state Sokoto Emergency Management Agency, Sema, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, six of the passengers on board were confirmed dead, while 19 others were miraculously rescued by local divers and first responders. Sadly, three individuals remain unaccounted for, sparking concerns that the death toll may rise if they are not found alive.
In a swift response to the tragedy, the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) mobilised a joint team of officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Sokoto Operations Office, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Red Cross.
Led by Alhaji Aliyu Shehu Kafin-Dangi, Head of the NEMA Sokoto Operations Office, the joint assessment team visited the affected community to confirm the extent of the disaster and to provide immediate support. They also met with traditional rulers, community leaders, and families of the victims in a fact-finding session aimed at documenting eyewitness accounts.
During the visit, the officials promised that government agencies would not relent until the three missing persons are accounted for.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Alhaji Kafin-Dangi, the cause of the mishap will be looked into with a view to stopping future occurrences and improving safety standards on waterways in the state. He also emphasised the need for strict adherence to safety measures by boat operators.
The Sokoto SEMA team announced that a comprehensive joint report on the tragedy will soon be released by NEMA Sokoto, NIWA, and the State Emergency Management Agency, with recommendations to prevent a recurrence.
Meanwhile, search and rescue operations are still ongoing, as emergency workers and local divers continue to comb the river in the hope of locating the three missing passengers.