The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has officially concluded its search and rescue operations following the tragic boat accident that occurred on Sunday, August 17, 2025, in Kojiyo village, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The agency confirmed that 25 persons were rescued alive, three bodies were recovered, and approximately 22 individuals remain unaccounted for after the wooden canoe, carrying over 50 passengers, capsized en route to Goronyo Market.
Speaking on television, Aliyu Kafindangi, Head of NEMA’s Sokoto Operations Office, provided a detailed update on the rescue efforts and the factors contributing to the tragedy.
“For the past three days, we have been on a rescue mission after a boat carrying farmers, market men, and women capsized,” Kafindangi stated.
“The boat capsized on Sunday with over 50 passengers on board. Luckily for us, that very day, 25 people were rescued alive. And then the following day, search and rescue continued, but we were not able to retrieve anybody. But yesterday [Tuesday], three bodies were retrieved.”
The recovered bodies were found in separate locations at Kojiyo, Bari, and Wuchi communities, with the victims buried according to Islamic rites.
Kafindangi noted that reports of additional bodies being sighted were under investigation, emphasising the need for verified data.
“We are getting a report that some of the bodies have been retrieved, but we are going after this interview to the rural side,” he said. “We have to go there and see for ourselves, with Google and GPS location in time for us, with the Red Cross, NIWA, and other stakeholders.”
Addressing the causes of the mishap, Kafindangi highlighted overloading as a primary factor, a recurring issue in Nigeria’s poorly regulated waterways.
“The canoe was overloaded. It’s a wooden canoe, overloaded with over 50 passengers, with about seven motorcycles and bags of farm produce,” he explained.
He also pointed to the high current in the river, exacerbated by water releases from nearby dams, as a contributing factor. “There is a high current. The dam has started releasing its water… That water will go down and meet with another river from Talata, Mafara, up to Kebbi State, where it joins the River Niger,” he added.
NEMA, in collaboration with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), local divers, and community leaders, had intensified efforts to locate the missing passengers.
Kafindangi revealed that the Goronyo Dam management temporarily suspended water releases to lower water levels, aiding the rescue operations.
However, with the dam reaching critical levels, water releases were set to resume to prevent a collapse, complicating further searches.
“Thank God we asked the dam manager of the grant to suspend the release of the water. And now it’s reaching critical levels. Therefore, they must release it, otherwise the dam will reach the point of breaking,” he warned.
