40 Feared Dead as Boat Capsizes in Sokoto

At least 40 people are feared dead after a boat carrying passengers capsized in Gorau community, Goronyo LGA of Sokoto state. 

According to Punch, the incident occurred on Thursday when a boat carrying about 40 passengers, including men, women and children, capsized.

The exact number of casualties could not be immediately ascertained as rescue operations were ongoing as of the time of filing this report.

TheCable was unable to reach Ahmed Rufai, the Sokoto police spokesperson, for comments on the incident.

The incident comes about a year after a boat mishap in Sokoto claimed 10 lives.

In September 2025, a boat carrying residents of Zalla-Bango village who were fleeing from armed bandits capsized in Sabon Birni LGA, with all 10 passengers reportedly drowning. Their bodies were later recovered by villagers and fishermen.

The 2025 incident occurred weeks after another boat accident at Garin-Faji, also in Sabon Birni, where more than five people died while 21 others were rescued. Another mishap was subsequently reported at Kojiyo village in Goronyo LGA.

Boat mishaps have become a recurring tragedy across Nigeria, with overloading and the failure to wear life jackets exposing passengers to avoidable risks and raising fresh concerns about safety on the country’s waterways.