Overloaded Boat Carrying Farmers Capsizes in Sokoto, Killing Dozens Including Children

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

Tragedy struck the Gorau community in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Thursday when an overloaded wooden canoe carrying farmers and labourers to their rice farms capsized, leaving at least 47 people dead and several others missing. The incident occurred in the morning as passengers were crossing a stream to access their farms for rice planting and harvesting activities. Abdulkadir Yusuf, the Sokoto state manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority, confirmed the death toll at 47, though local residents and journalists at the scene reported that the number of casualties could rise as search and recovery operations continue.

Eyewitness accounts indicate that the boat was carrying more than 70 people when it capsized shortly after departure. Local journalist Sharhabilu Yahuza Kiliya, who witnessed the incident, said about 40 bodies had been recovered so far, while six people, including the village head, were rescued. Another resident told Reuters that the boat was carrying farm owners and labourers hired to harvest rice, with more than 70 people on board when it capsized. Most of those on board were reportedly children between the ages of 10 and 15, according to multiple eyewitness accounts. Samaila Garba, 55, a resident who lost his 13-year-old granddaughter, Jamila Usman, in the disaster, said he had counted 42 bodies of victims, most of them women and children. "You know, during the rainy season, most women and children go to the farm to work," he told the Associated Press.

Rescue efforts are currently ongoing, with community divers leading the search for missing passengers and recovery of bodies. Local resident Nasiru Gorau confirmed that community divers were involved in the recovery operation, stating, "Our local divers recovered the bodies and the search is still ongoing". The National Emergency Management Agency, the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, and officials from the state government have reportedly mobilised to the scene to assess the situation and coordinate rescue efforts. Alhaji Tukur Abubakar, head of NEMA's Sokoto Operations Office, confirmed the incident and said officials were on their way to Gorau alongside representatives of the Sokoto State Government and the National Inland Waterways Authority. The Sokoto State Police Command also confirmed the incident, with spokesperson Ahmed Rufai stating that the command would issue a statement soon.

The latest disaster adds to a long and tragic list of deadly boat accidents in Nigeria, where inland waterways serve as vital transportation routes in areas with poor road infrastructure. Overloading, inadequate safety measures, poorly maintained vessels, and weak regulation of inland water transportation have repeatedly been blamed for fatal accidents. Sokoto itself witnessed another major boat accident in August 2025, when a vessel carrying around 50 people capsized while travelling to Goronyo market, with at least 25 people rescued and another 25 missing and presumed dead. One of Nigeria's deadliest recent waterway disasters occurred in Kwara State in June 2023, when a boat carrying wedding guests capsized on the Niger River, killing more than 100 people, with women and children among the victims.

Safety experts and emergency agencies have repeatedly raised concerns over the chronic lack of enforcement of safety regulations that allows faulty and overloaded boats to operate across the country. The absence of life jackets, inadequate passenger manifests, and the use of poorly maintained wooden canoes continue to expose millions of Nigerians who depend on water transportation to grave risks, particularly during the rainy season when waterways become more treacherous. As search operations continue in Gorau community, families anxiously await news of their loved ones, while the community has been thrown into mourning. The development has prompted urgent calls for intensified rescue operations and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident. Authorities are expected to provide further updates on the incident and any ongoing search-and-rescue operations as more verified information becomes available.

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