6 Of My Neighbours Among 56 Dead In Sokoto Boat Tragedy – Mourner

The death toll from the Sokoto boat tragedy has risen to 56, with 15 people rescued alive.

A resident of Gorau, Hajiya Raheema Waziri, said she lost six of her neighbours to the mishap.

Speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the 38-year-old food vendor said,

“Everybody is running out of this environment. The bandits came this morning and operated for several hours unhindered. There is no security here, only vigilantes. We are forced to travel through the waters because the roads are not safe. We need help. I lost six neighbours in that boat mishap and my heart is broken. The rescue operation was also very slow at the beginning, and that is why so many people died. It had never happened like this. Other boat mishaps usually claimed between six and 10 lives, or a little above, but this one is very painful.”

Another resident, a farmer, Mallam Kebe, said he lost two cousins hired to work on a rice farm.

“I am devastated. My brothers were not supposed to die yesterday. If not for insecurity, we don’t usually follow the water route. The federal government is busy campaigning while we are dying. If there was no insecurity in Goronyo, many people would not enter the river and maybe they would be alive,” he said.

Aminu Sani, a local government official, confirmed that at least 56 bodies had been recovered and 15 others rescued alive from the  mishap that occurred on Thursday in Gorau village.

The Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmed Rufai, in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, confirmed that bandits attacked Gorau town where the boat mishap occurred, killing 2 people and injuring 3.

“This situation is not peculiar to Gorau. Across Sokoto, especially in Eastern Sokoto, bandit attacks are a daily reality. In Gorau, the challenge is worse because of distance and difficult terrain. Information sometimes gets to security agencies late. For instance, the attack yesterday happened around 1:00 PM,” he said.

On the boat mishap, DSP Rufai said: “The waterways have become more dangerous because it is rainy season. The rivers are flooded, and with just a little wind, overloaded canoes easily capsize. In yesterday’s incident, the canoe was carrying about 77 people. There are no safety protocols and no life jackets. At times, people even load motorcycles and other goods into the canoes. This contributes to the frequent mishaps.”

“Boat accidents are not new in Goronyo. It is almost an annual occurrence. Despite repeated sensitization, the people have little choice because of the security situation.”

He added that security response was hampered by terrain: “Yesterday, we could not access the area until this morning. From what we confirmed, 2 people were killed by bandits and 3 others injured. We evacuated the injured to the hospital. This is a place that needs urgent intervention. You may be responding to one village today, and by the next minute another village is calling for help. In rainy season, most trails are not accessible by vehicles. That is why we sometimes delay releasing information — because we don’t have confirmed facts on ground until we get there.”

Meanwhile, the member representing Goronyo/Gada Federal Constituency, Hon. Usman Gorau; Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto South Senatorial District; 2027 ADC Governorship candidate, Manir Dan’Iya; and the Chairman, Governing Board of the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, Alhaji Mukhtar Shagari, have all commiserated with the state government, the community, and families who lost loved ones in the boat mishap.