Bandit Attack Survivors Drown in Sokoto Boat Tragedy

Several residents of Zalla Bango community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State have drowned in a boat mishap while fleeing renewed bandit attacks, local authorities have confirmed.

The chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government, Alhaji Ayuba Hashimu, told journalists on Saturday that the incident occurred on the evening of Thursday, September 18, when a wooden boat carrying fleeing villagers struck the edge of a collapsed culvert along the Goronyo–Sabon Birni road.

“The boat hit the edge of the collapsed culvert, causing it to break and sink. We are doing everything possible to rescue survivors and recover the bodies of the deceased,” Hashimu said.

He noted that motorised boats and life jackets recently procured by the Sokoto State Government had been distributed to flood-prone areas, including Sabon Birni, just a day before the tragedy.

Confirming the bandit attack, the member representing Sabon Birni constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Sa’idu Ibrahim, said six people were killed before the attackers fled. “I have just returned from the village to sympathise with the grieving families,” Ibrahim added.

Efforts to reach the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.