Survivor Says Overloading Caused Sokoto Boat Tragedy

A survivor of the Sokoto boat accident has blamed the incident on the overloading of bikes and passengers.

Husseini Goronyo, who survived the accident, said he was going to the Goronyo market when the incident happened.

Husseini said, “I boarded the boat alongside others on my way to Goronyo market. The boat was overloaded with passengers and goods, but no one cared since it was not the first time a boat had been overloaded.

“Suddenly, from the backside of the boat, where I sat, I just noticed the boat sinking headlong into the river with mostly women, crying and wailing.

“I was one of those able to swim safely during the pandemonium. I even managed to rescue another person, gasping for breath, close to the river’s edge.

“Six of us were rescued yesterday, as search and rescue operations are still ongoing to locate the remaining passengers,” he said.

The boat was on its way to Goronyo market, carrying more than 50 passengers, goods, and motorcycles, when the accident occurred in Kojiyo Ward, Goronyo, a local government area in Sokoto state.

However, 10 people were confirmed dead on Sunday.

Sources from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed that four more survivors had been rescued in addition to the six rescued yesterday.

NEMA, under the leadership of Zubaida Umar, quoted the statistics of the incident: “Over 50 passengers were on transit to Goronyo Market in the boat, and it capsized on Sunday, August 17th, 2025.

“The people attributed the cause of the mishap to wind, but others, including NIWA, confirm it is overloading. Twenty-five passengers were rescued alive, while about twenty-five are still missing. Seven motorcycles were retrieved from the water. No corpse (dead body) has been found yet.

“At 7pm today, the Search and Rescue operation was declared closed and will resume tomorrow at 0700 hours. This is the second day of grace given by the dam management for search and rescue, after which the dam will open to release water to avoid collapse.

“The operation’s stakeholders are NEMA, NIWA, SEMA, Goronyo Local Government officials, Community leaders (Sarkin Ruwa of Kojiyo and Goronyo), and local divers,” the statement issued by the NEMA spokesperson, Ezekiel Manzo, said.