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4w ago

Dozens Missing After Sokoto Market Boat Capsizes With At Least 10 Reported Dead

Heavy releases from Goronyo Dam, with no confirmed passenger manifest, are complicating the search.

Image
Rescue officials at the site (Photo:nemanigeria)
People travel by a boat as search and rescue operations continue following a boat accident, in a place given as Sokoto State, Nigeria, in this handout image released on August 17, 2025. National Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria/Handout via REUTERS
A member of the National Emergency Management Agency stands in water as search and rescue operations continue following a boat accident, in a place given as Sokoto State, Nigeria, in this handout image released on August 17, 2025. National Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria/Handout via REUTERS

Overview

  • NEMA said the boat carried over 50 people, with about 10 rescued and more than 40 still unaccounted for, while SEMA reported 10 deaths and six survivors.
  • The boat overturned on Sunday afternoon near Kojiyo village in Goronyo Local Government Area as traders traveled to the weekly Goronyo Market.
  • Local officials and eyewitnesses cited overloading, noting that motorcycles were ferried alongside passengers.
  • Search and recovery operations continue under NEMA and Sokoto state teams supported by local responders.
  • A federal lawmaker urged a temporary pause in Goronyo Dam water releases to aid retrieval efforts, echoing broader calls for passenger manifests and stricter enforcement after recurrent rainy-season boat disasters.