In brief
A boat transporting more than 70 passengers, mostly children, capsized near Gorau in Sokoto state, killing 46 people. 16 bodies were recovered while 15 remain missing and search crews battle the remote terrain. The incident underscores a pattern of unsafe, overcrowded boats in Nigeria and a lack of enforcement of safety standards. Officials urge better training, boat maintenance and life‑jacket usage as remedial actions.
At least 46 people have been killed when a boat carrying more than 70 passengers, mostly children, capsized near Gorau in Sokoto state. Sixteen bodies were recovered safely, while 15 people remain missing.
Police spokesperson Ahmad Rufai told the BBC that the incident occurred in a remote area “very difficult to reach” and that security agencies and emergency services were rushing to the site. The boat had been transporting farmers, farm owners and laborers heading to a rice harvest.
Witnesses reported that they saw 50 bodies wrapped in mats and traditional cloths lying in front of a community mosque, before burial. This tragedy follows earlier boat accidents in Nigeria, including a September 2025 incident in Jigawa state that killed five and a December 2024 disaster on the River Niger that left 54 bodies recovered in a single capsized vessel.
Authorities have called for safer boats, life jackets, dredging waterways, deploying water guards at jetties and enforcing licensing and training for operators. Yet many of these measures remain unimplemented, leaving thousands of Nigerians who rely on waterways for transport at risk.
For many villages, rivers are the primary means of transport due to poor roads and lack of bridges. Wooden boats are still widely used to move people and goods across communities.
