At least 30 traders, including several women, are feared to have lost their lives in a boat accident on Sunday in Kojiyo village, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The ill-fated boat, which was conveying passengers and goods to the popular Goronyo weekly market, capsized around 1:30pm.
Eyewitnesses said the vessel was overloaded, carrying motorcycles along with the traders.
Local accounts revealed that the victims came from different communities in Goronyo and neighbouring Gada LGAs.
Confirming the tragedy, Chairman of Goronyo LGA, Hon. Zubairu Yari, disclosed that four people were rescued alive, though the total number of passengers on board could not be established. He admitted the boat was overcrowded.
“The traders came from different communities, including Gada LGA, to attend the Sunday market. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but the situation is challenging due to heavy water flow from Goronyo Dam, which is being released to prevent overflow,” Yari said.
He explained that appeals had been made to surrounding communities to help in recovering the bodies, expressing optimism that some would be found before the end of the day.
According to him, poor road networks and overloading were responsible for the mishap, though he noted that the state government had already begun constructing roads and bridges to improve access in the area.
In the meantime, Yari ordered that no boat in the region should exceed its carrying capacity, while also stressing the importance of keeping a passenger manifest for all canoe operations.
Search and recovery operations were still ongoing as of Sunday night.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Gada-Goronyo Federal Constituency, Hon. Bashir Usman Gorau, has urged the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority to suspend water release from Goronyo Dam temporarily in order to aid recovery operations.
“I urge the authorities to consider a temporary halt in the water discharge for a few hours. This will greatly assist our brave rescue teams in recovering the remains of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate tragedy,” Gorau pleaded, visibly shaken by the incident.
Sokoto has recorded multiple boat tragedies in recent years, particularly in Shagari LGA.
In April 2022, a boat carrying 34 passengers capsized in Gidan-Magana village, killing 28 people after hitting a submerged tree. Six survivors were rescued.
Later in October 2022, another 15 people died in the same LGA when a boat transporting 25 passengers to a Maulud celebration overturned.
The following year, in May 2023, tragedy struck again when 17 teenagers drowned in Dandeji River after a boat carrying about 40 young people capsized while they were heading to fetch firewood.
In June 2025, seven people, including four minors and three mothers, died in Rinaye village of Shagari LGA when a boat with nine passengers capsized, leaving only the captain and one passenger alive.
With Sunday’s accident in Kojiyo village, the number of lives lost to boat mishaps in Sokoto State has now surpassed 90 within the past three years.