TEN villagers have been confirmed dead in a heartbreaking boat accident that occurred in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State as they tried to escape a looming bandit attack, police authorities have said.
News Point Nigeria reports that the victims, residents of Zalla Bango, were reportedly attempting to cross a river in a desperate bid to flee an impending raid when tragedy struck.
Confirming the incident, the Sokoto State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Ahmed Rufai, disclosed that the boat capsized on Friday, leaving all ten passengers dead.
“The incident actually happened when the villagers were trying to escape from bandits,” Rufai stated. “Unfortunately, all 10 passengers on board drowned and their corpses have been recovered and buried in accordance with Islamic rites.”
A police source told News Point Nigeria that the boat reportedly struck the edge of a collapsed culvert, broke apart, and sank almost immediately.
Alhaji Ayuba Hashimu, Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, who visited the scene, confirmed that search-and-rescue operations were carried out by local divers and volunteers.
“The boat hit the edge of a collapsed culvert, which led to its breaking and eventual sinking,” Hashimu said. “We are doing everything possible to determine if there were other passengers and to rescue any survivors or recover additional bodies.”
The tragedy underscores the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sokoto, where recurring bandit attacks have left villagers with little choice but to risk their lives fleeing across rivers and forests.
In a related development, police also confirmed that gunmen identified as Lakurawa terrorists attacked Santana village in Tangaza Local Government Area over the weekend, killing a 47-year-old village head, Murtala Sa’adu, and his neighbour, Ibrahim Maikudi.
The fresh attack adds to the growing insecurity in Sokoto State, where rural communities remain under siege from criminal gangs engaged in mass killings, abductions, and cattle rustling.
In August, a 29-year-old man drowned after a boat accident in Shagari Local Government Area, with several passengers still feared missing.
Also last month, six villagers were confirmed dead while three others went missing after another boat capsized in Garin Faji, Sabon Birni, during a similar attempt to escape bandit attacks. Nineteen passengers were rescued.
