By Deborah Nnamdi
Sokoto State was thrown into mourning on Sunday following the capsizing of a passenger boat in Kojiyo Ward, Goronyo Local Government Area, leaving many feared dead and several others missing.
The boat, reportedly carrying over 50 residents across a river en route to the Goronyo Market, sank midway through the journey, resulting in multiple casualties.
An eyewitness, identified only as Abubakar, said the incident claimed numerous lives, with many passengers still unaccounted for as search and rescue efforts extended into the evening.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sokoto Operations Office, confirmed the incident and said it had deployed its response team to assist with ongoing rescue efforts.
NEMA’s Director General, Zubaida Umar, was said to have immediately activated the agency’s emergency response upon receiving reports of the accident.
“As of the time of this report, about 10 passengers have been rescued, while over 40 remain missing,” NEMA stated. “The agency, in collaboration with local authorities and emergency responders, is intensifying search and rescue operations to locate the missing persons.”
