The National Emergency Management Agency says rescue workers are searching for over 40 people after a boat accident in Sokoto State.
NEMA in a statement said the boat, which was carrying over 50 passengers to a market, capsized on Sunday.
Boat accidents are common on Nigeria’s poorly regulated waterways due to overcrowding and poor maintenance, particularly during the annual rainy season when rivers and lakes overflow.
At least 16 farmers died in a similar accident in August 2024 when a wooden canoe carrying them across a river to their rice fields capsized in Sokoto state.
In May, a boat accident claimed the lives of at least 27 people in the Gbajibo community in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The Kwara tragedy occurred barely seven months after a similar incident claimed the lives of one hundred people in the area.
