By Miriam Humbe
A total of 30 persons were involved in canoe accident that happened on Friday 22nd August, 2025 in Garin-faji, Sabon-birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Manzo Ezekiel, NEMA’s Head of Press unit disclosed this in a statement signed on Sunday.
Out of the 30 persons involved in the accident, 21 survived including 2 canoe operators, 6 dead bodies were recovered from the river and 3 persons are still missing.
Search and rescue operation is still ongoing to find the 3 missing persons. However, the 6 bodies recovered from the water were already buried according to Islamic rite before the arrival of the joint team to the village.
NEMA’s Sokoto Operations responded to the report of the mishap yesterday alongside other stakeholders which include, NIWA, SEMA, Nigeria Army, Nigeria Red Cross, Sokoto State Ministry of Works, member representing Sabon-Birni in the Sokoto State House of Assembly in the company of officials of the local government council and traditional leaders.
Also, we call on relevant regulatory authorities with jurisdiction over our waterways to enforce compliance of safety protocols and standard in the use of canoes and boats for transportation and commercial activities, particularly ensuring the use of life jackets by crew and passengers.
Sokoto Operations Office is closely monitoring the search and rescue operations and will continue to bring update on the incident.
