7 drown as canoe capsizes in Sokoto

A heartbreaking tragedy struck Sokoto State on Monday as seven individuals, including the paddler, drowned after their canoe capsized on a river between Gidan Hussaini and Sabon Garin Hussaini.

According to reports from Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, the victims were traveling across the river when the ill-fated incident occurred. Security operatives promptly arrived at the scene to cordon off the riverside and control the growing crowd of grieving relatives.

A local rescue team swiftly mobilized to recover the bodies, which were later released to their families for burial, in line with local customs.

This tragic incident adds to a growing list of waterway accidents in Nigeria. Just last year, on November 30, a boat carrying over 200 passengers from Kogi State capsized on the Dambo-Ebuchi stretch of the River Niger, claiming dozens of lives.

Earlier in October, 90 bodies were recovered following a similar boat accident in Kaiama LGA, Kwara State, where 31 people were rescued.