A survivor of the boat accident that occurred in Sokoto on Sunday, August 17, has given a first-hand account of what caused the tragedy.
Remember that on Monday, August 18th, ExpressiveInfo reported that 10 people were rescued while 40 people died in the boat mishap.
The survivor, whose name is Husseini Goronyo, blamed the incident on the overloading of bikes and passengers.
He disclosed that he was going to the Goronyo market when the incident happened.
“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.
Updating citizens on the incident, NEMA spokesperson, Ezekiel Manzo, issued a statement that reads: “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.”
