Nigeria boat capsize kills at least 50, mostly children, in Sokoto state

At least 50 people, most of them children, died after an overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto state on Thursday (August 20), according to witnesses.

The accident occurred near Gorau in the Goronyo local government area. Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager at Nigeria’s National Inland Waterways Authority, said rescue operations were continuing.

A Reuters reporter at the scene saw 50 bodies, many wrapped in mats and traditional cloth, lying outside a community mosque before their burial later that day.

Around 40 children among the dead

Yusuf said the bodies of about 40 children had been recovered.

Nasiru Adamu, a member of the Sokoto state legislature representing the area, said most of those on board were aged between 10 and 15. He added that rescuers had saved 16 people.

Eyewitness Sharhabilu Kiliya later put the death toll at 53, saying 46 victims had already been buried before more bodies were brought to the community.

Accounts differed over the number of passengers. One resident said more than 70 people were aboard, while another estimated that the boat was carrying 57.

The passengers reportedly included rice farm owners and labourers hired for the harvest.

Emergency officials sent to scene

Mustapha Umar, director of relief and rehabilitation at the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, said officials were travelling to the area and would provide further information.

Fatal boat accidents occur regularly on Nigeria’s waterways, where overcrowding, poor vessel maintenance and weak enforcement of safety regulations contribute to accidents, particularly during the rainy season.

At least 25 people were killed in January when a leaking boat capsized in northeastern Nigeria’s Yobe state.