Rescue teams in northern Nigeria are searching for more than 40 passengers who went missing after a boat capsized in Sokoto State on Sunday.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed that the vessel, carrying over 50 people to a local market, overturned in the River Goronyo.
A Sokoto State official told the BBC that only four survivors had been found as of Monday. NEMA added that it was “intensifying efforts alongside local authorities to locate [those] still missing.”
Boat accidents are common in Nigeria, often caused by overcrowding, poorly maintained vessels, and weak enforcement of safety regulations.
In December 2024, at least 54 bodies were recovered from the River Niger after a boat suspected to be carrying over 200 passengers sank. That tragedy marked the third major boat mishap within a 60-day period.
Just a month earlier, in November 2024, nearly 200 people lost their lives when a wooden dugout canoe, overcrowded with about 300 passengers, capsized in the Niger River.
Another widely reported incident occurred two years ago in the country’s southwest, when over 100 passengers drowned. The vessel, which had set out from Kwara State en route to Niger State after a wedding, was carrying around 300 people.
Although regulations require all passengers to wear life jackets, enforcement remains weak, and such safety equipment is often unavailable in rural communities.
