The boat sank halfway into the river with 50 passengers on board
Kareem Abdulrahman
A boat carrying villagers fleeing terrorists attack reportedly capsized, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria.
The incident occurred on Thursday in Kali village, in the Gummi Local Government Area of the state, according to the boat driver, Aliyu Kali. The villagers were attempting to escape the attack when the boat accident occurred.
“The village was in a panic mode after learning that bandits were underway to raid the area. People trooped to escape to safer locations cross the river,” Kali said.
“The boat sank unfortunately halfway into the river with 50 passengers on board.
“We yelled for help and about 100 divers came and rescued 40 persons. Unfortunately, nine passengers drowned; and one other in a critical condition at the hospital.”
One of the divers, Kashimu Umar said, “The entire community was in a state of pandemonium due to imminent threat from bandits. Some of us went ahead leaving behind our wives and children to wait for them at the river bank.”
“So when we noticed the boat was sinking we dived into the river. Thank God the fatalities were minimized, else it would have been too devastating,” he said.
Adamu Aliyu Gummi, the Deputy Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly and representative of the Gummi constituency, has confirmed the tragic boat accident and offered his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.
In response to the incident, Gummi has also directed the procurement of additional boats to ensure safer and easier transportation for villagers fleeing the area.
Police could not be reached for comments.
For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.
Since the start of 2024 civilians have faced intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.